■■1 

1 

! 

The  Future  of 
=  The  Churches  [ 

Ro^er  W.  Babson 

^r<rr                          ii                          tsfi 

^ivi  Of  nlxcr 

..-.31922 


'^r 


\' 


'/r£/M.    crVi\*>V 


BV   600    .B3   1921 

Babson,  Roger  Ward,   1875- 

1967. 
The  future  of  churches 


lUTTT 


The  Future  of  the  Churches 


By  ROGER  W.  BABSON 

President    Babson's    Statistical    Organization 

Making  Good  In  Business 

12mo,  SI. 25 

The  famous  Business  Expert  here  applies  a 
fundamental  knowledge  of  business  principles  to 
daily  business  life.  The  latest  work  by  the  author 
of  "Fundamentals  of  Prosperity"  is  crammed 
with  the  most  valuable  sort  of  hints  and  sug- 
gestions for  the  attainment  of  a  well-balanced, 
norrhal,  successful,  business  career. 

Fundamentals  of  Prosperity 

12mo,  $1.00 

Western  Christian  Advocate  says:  "Have  you 
heard  of  Roger  Babson,  the  great  statistician  and 
business  expert?  Then  listen;  he  has  written  a 
book.  You  can  read  it  in  an  hour.  It  is  just  the 
thing  you  want  to  reach  the  apathetic  man  who 
passes  up  the  church  and  spends  his  powers  and 
energies  on  patriotism  and  good  citizenship.  Get 
this  book  at  once.    Read  it." 

The  Future  of  the  Churches 

Historic  and  Economic  Facts      12mo,  $1.00 

Mr.  Babsox  shows  in  a  constructive  way  how 
the  future  prosperity  and  achievement  of  the 
church  are  dependent  on  its  ability  to  enter  fully 
into  the  manifold  life  of  the  people,  and  stand  as 
firmly  for  social  and  civic  righteousness  as  for  the 
meeting  and  supplying  distinctly  spiritual  needs. 


The  Future  of  the 
Churches 

Historic  and  Economic  Facts 


ROGER  W.  IftABSON 

President  of  the  Babson  Statistical  Organization^ 

Author  of  **The  Fundamentals  of  Prosperity t'* 
and  *' Making  Good  in  Business  " 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming     H.     Revell      Company 
London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1921,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh :      75     Princes     Street 


To 

GEORGE  W.   COLEMAN 

President  of  the  Babson  Institute 


Introduction 

IT  is  almost  a  truism  that  any  message 
which  is  to  reach  the  heart  must  come 
from  the  heart.  But  famiUar  as  the 
truth  is,  it  involves  far-reaching  consequences 
which  are  oftentimes  overlooked.  It  means, 
for  example,  that  a  preacher's  message,  if  it 
is  to  carry  its  full  weight,  must  be  wrought 
out  in  the  crucible  of  his  own  experience.  Not 
that  we  can  ever  hope  to  comprehend  in  this 
fragmentary,  earthly  life  all  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  power  of  God  and  of  His  will 
for  men ;  but  that  even  the  partial  truths  which 
have  been  learned  in  the  school  of  experience 
have  more  power  to  touch  and  help  the  hearts 
of  others  than  whole  volumes  of  words  sim- 
ply recited  by  rote. 

The  world  to-day  is  waiting  and  longing  for 
men  who  can  say  "  I  know  this  is  true,  for  I 
have  proved  it  in  my  own  life."  The  signs 
of  the  times  all  point  to  the  dawning  of  a  new 
age  of  faith;  but  it  must  be  a  faith  which 
proves  itself  by  its  works.  Religion,  like 
everything  else,  is  being  subjected  to  the  prac- 
tical test.  Men  are  anxious  to  learn  how  to 
live;  they  are  reaching  out  for  an  explanation 

7 


8  INTRODUCTION 

of  life's  mysteries,  and  for  help  in  solving 
its  problems.  If  any  man  can  satisfy  this 
craving  he  will  not  have  to  suffer  for  lack  of  a 
hearing.  But  he  can  never  do  it  until  the  mes- 
sage he  preaches  has  become  a  part  of  his  own 
life.  The  truths  he  proclaims  must  be  some- 
thing more  than  mere  intellectual  abstrac- 
tions ;  they  must  be  warm  with  love  and  virile 
with  power  and  tender  with  sympathy, — in  a 
word,  pulsating  throughout  with  life.  It  is 
his  business  and  the  business  of  the  Church  to 
build  up  religion.  Religion  is  "  the  life  of 
God  in  the  soul  of  man." 

The  convictions  which  dominate  my  con- 
ception of  the  ministry  are  thus  intensely 
practical.  Were  I  to  choose  a  motto  for  my 
ministry,  it  would  perhaps  be  the  words  of 
Jesus:  "I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and 
may  have  it  abundantly.'*  In  those  words 
Jesus  put  His  finger  upon  the  deepest  and 
most  universal  aspiration  of  the  human  heart. 
Men  want  to  get  the  most  out  of  life,  and  one 
of  their  bitterest  experiences  is  the  realization 
of  the  barriers  which  hem  them  in  on  every 
side.  The  transitoriness  of  this  earthly  life, 
the  unending  conflict  between  one's  self  and 
his  environment,  and  the  inner  stress  and 
strain  of  opposing  interests,  all  combine  to 
thwart  his  desire  for  a  full,  free,  vigorous  per- 
sonality. It  is  only  through  Jesus  that  these 
confining    barriers    are    levelled.      For    the 


INTRODUCTION  9 

Church  to  proclaim  Him  as  the  Saviour  and 
Life-bringer  of  the  world  is  to  bring  a  mes- 
sage which  can  never  grow  old. 

But  the  yearning  of  the  heart  does  not  stop 
with  itself ;  sooner  or  later,  every  one  begins  to 
grope  for  the  divine  above  him.  Centuries  of 
experience  have  verified  Augustine's  confes- 
sion: "Thou  hast  made  us  for  Thyself,  and 
our  hearts  are  restless  until  they  rest  in  Thee." 
Science  answers  the  craving  in  part,  and  so  do 
history  and  philosophy;  but  the  only  complete 
satisfaction  is  in  Jesus.  In  His  tender  pity  we 
see  the  manifestaton  of  God's  compassion;  in 
His  interest  in  men, — even  in  the  trivial  af- 
fairs of  their  daily  life — ^we  see  the  divine  in- 
terest. The  Church  must  reflect  this  sympathy 
and  interest. 

Illuminating  thus  the  social  relations  of 
mankind,  the  Church  can  satisfy  yet  another 
of  the  great  yearnings  of  every  heart.  Per- 
haps there  is  no  greater  boon  which  Jesus  can 
bestow  upon  this  confused  and  groping  age,  in 
which  bitter  strife  and  tumult  are  so  strangely 
blended  with  moral  idealism  and  altruistic 
service,  than  to  point  the  road  to  a  happy  and 
prosperous  society.  Never  will  there  be  any 
abiding  peace  between  the  various  classes  of 
society  until  the  spirit  of  Jesus  controls  them 
all.  The  sense  of  kinship  to  a  common  Father 
must  underlie  the  consciousness  of  human 
brotherhood.    With  all  my  heart  I  believe  that 


10  INTRODUCTION 

the  gospel  of  Jesus  is  the  only  power  which 
can  bring  order  out  of  the  chaos  of  modern 
society.  There  is  work  in  abundance  for  the 
poHtical  economist  and  the  business  expert  and 
the  statesman,  but  at  heart  the  great  problems 
which  are  vexing  the  world  to-day  are  all 
moral  problems.  The  Church,  therefore,  is 
recreant  to  her  duty  if  she  ignores  them.  De- 
tails of  administration  she  must  leave  to 
others;  but  the  principles  which  lie  at  the 
foundation  of  all  social  welfare  it  is  hers  to 
proclaim  and  illustrate. 

Running  all  through  her  ministry  there 
must  be  a  passionate  interest  in  the  well-being 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  The 
handicapped  ought  to  find  in  her  a  wise  and 
loving  friend ;  the  oppressed  ought  to  feel  free 
to  turn  to  her  as  their  champion ;  the  mean  and 
selfish  ought  to  have  good  cause  to  fear  her 
stinging  rebuke;  while  those  who  are  sleeping 
the  sleep  of  the  lazy  or  the  self-satisfied  ought 
to  be  roused  from  their  lethargy  by  her  bugle- 
call  to  service.  As  the  great  scholar  of  old 
took  all  knowledge  for  his  province,  so  the 
Church  must  take  all  mankind  as  the  object  of 
her  ministry. 

No  lines  of  any  kind  can  be  allowed  to  di- 
vide men  one  from  the  other  in  religion.  The 
Church  must  know  no  East  and  West,  no  rich 
and  poor,  no  ignorant  foreigner  and  cultured 
descendant  of  the  Pilgrims,  for  all  must  be 


INTEODUCTION  11 

loved  and  served  alike  by  her  as  they  were  by 
her  Master.  That  she  has  sometimes  been 
sadly  remiss  in  this  duty  is  only  too  painfully 
obvious, — and  it  is  due  very  largely  to  these 
seeds  of  neglect,  partiality  and  pride  that  she 
is  now  reaping  the  harvest  of  alienation  and 
indifference.  Only  as  she  learns  her  lesson 
and  proves  her  repentance  by  a  love  whose 
genuineness  and  universality  can  never  be 
questioned,  can  she  ever  expect  to  recover  the 
confidence  of  those  who  now  pass  her  by  in 
indifference  or  scorn. 

To  create  and  foster  this  truly  social  spirit 
I  conceive  to  be  one  of  the  prime  duties  of  the 
Church.  Another  is  to  lead  people  to  a  reali- 
zation of  the  fact  that  what  is  called  missions 
is  a  part  of  this  larger  social  ministry.  It  is 
hard  to  understand  why  there  should  be  such 
a  widespread  antipathy  to  a  form  of  service 
which  is  so  essential  to  any  genuine  religion. 
Too  long  has  our  missionary  work  been  re- 
garded as  a  kind  of  adjunct  to  one's  Chris- 
tianity,— to  be  taken  or  left  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  individual.  The  disastrous  results 
of  such  a  misconception  are  too  serious  to  al- 
low it  to  continue  any  longer.  It  means  a 
stunted  religion  for  the  Church,  and  a  neglect 
of  the  highest  welfare  of  some  of  our  fellow- 
men  which  Is  bound  to  have  the  most  tragic 
consequences.  Missions  ought  to  be  taken  out 
of  the  little  side  compartment  into  which  the 


12  INTRODUCTION 

Church  has  too  often  relegated  them,  and  be 
recognized  as  a  vital  part  of  the  one  great 
work  of  ministry  for  which  the  Church 
stands. 

Patiently  and  persistently  the  minister  must 
strive  to  educate  his  people  into  the  idea  that 
ministry  to  the  sick  and  sorrowing  and 
tempted  of  the  parish,  to  the  boys  and  girls  in 
their  time  of  storm  and  stress,  to  the  unfortu- 
nate victims  of  social  injustice,  and  to  those 
who  still  sit  in  the  darkness  of  sin  and  suffer- 
ing because  the  light  of  life  has  never  been 
carried  to  them, — ^that  all  these  forms  of  serv- 
ice are  on  a  par,  every  one  of  them  vitally 
important  in  connection  with  the  basic  eco- 
nomic principles  emphasized  in  this  book. 

It  certainly  is  with  deep  pleasure  that  I 
commend  the  work  of  my  fellow  townsman, 
Roger  W.  Babson,  who  is  a  member  of  my 
church.  He  is  not  only  a  loyal  and  valued 
friend  but  a  parishioner  whose  unfailing  sup- 
port in  the  work  of  the  Church  is  an  encour- 
agement and  inspiration.  No  one  realizes 
more  than  he  the  difficulties  in  his  way,  the 
snares  laid  by  opponents,  and  the  errors  into 
which  he  may  be  led.  But  we  both  are  seeking 
the  truth  and  he  attempts  in  this  little  book 
fearlessly  to  present  it. 

Carl  M.  Gates. 

Pastor,  Congregational  Church, 
Wellesley  Hills,  Mass, 


Preface 

OWING  to  peculiar  inherited  opinions 
relative  to  churches,  among  people 
who  are  logical,  or  at  least  consist- 
ent, upon  almost  every  other  subject,  the 
writer  has  tried  very  hard  to  be  fair  in  the 
presentation  of  this  subject. 

In  revising  the  book  he  has  also  tried  to 
avoid  making  it  a  preachment  of  any  sort,  but 
rather  to  confine  it  to  a  review  and  forecast, 
based  upon  historical  analysis. 

He  acknowledges  indebtedness  especially  to 
"  The  Commercial  &  Financial  Chronicle,**  in 
view  of  the  material  used  in  Chapter  Four, 
under  the  sub-heading  "  Churches  and  Capital- 


•      ft 

ism. 


R.  W.  B. 

Wellesley  Hills,  Massachusetts, 


13 


Contents 

I.  The  Church — Past,  Present,  and 

Future 17 

What  History  Teaches. 

Why  the  Church  is  Weak  To-day. 

What  the  Church  will  Preach. 

II.  Another  Point  of  View  .        .       33 

The  Question  of  To-day. 
What  the  Hebrews  Taught. 
Charities  and  Churches. 

III.  Competitors  of  the  Church   .        .       51 

Lodges,  Schools  and  Theatres. 
Philosophy  and  Democracy. 
Questionnaires  Proposed. 

IV.  Teachings  of  Jesus  .        .        .        .71 

Judging  Others. 

Retaliation,  Wealth  and  Worship. 

An  Appeal 

V.  A  Possibility 85 

Church  and  CapitaHsm. 
One  Suggestion. 
Conclusion. 

Appendix Ill 


15 


I 

The  Church — Past,  Present,  and  Future 


i 

THE  CHURCH— PAST,  PRESENT, 
AND  FUTURE 

A  STUDY  of  history  shows  clearly  that 
churches  have  prospered  when  they 
have  given  a  motive  for  man  to  be 
religious. 

The  basis  of  political  economy,  that  "  all 
natural  actions  of  man  are  for  the  purpose 
either  of  avoiding  pain  or  gaining  happiness," 
apparently  underlies  the  growth  of  the  world's 
great  religions.  In  fact,  according  to  the 
economists,  all  civilization  has  been  con- 
structed on  these  two  natural  desires.  Govern- 
ments, industries  and  individuals  have  suc- 
ceeded or  fallen  as  they  have  or  have  not  util- 
ized this  fundamental  law  of  human  nature. 

Of  course,  some  will  at  once  take  exception 
to  this  statement  and  insist  that  such  is  not  in 
accordance  with  the  teachings  of  Jesus;  but 
here  again  the  economist  would  retort  by 
claiming  that  the  distinction  which  we  make 
between  "  selfishness  "  and  "  unselfishness  '* 
really  involves  an  analysis  of  the  words  "  hap- 
piness "  and  "  unhappiness."     Some  persons 

19 


20  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

attempt  to  secure  happiness  by  acquiring,  and 
others  attempt  to  secure  happiness  by  serving; 
while  what  is  considered  happiness  by  one  is 
unhappiness  for  another.  Hence  the  claim 
can  be  made  that  even  Jesus  did  not  ignore 
this  fundamental  law  of  human  nature,  but 
instead  strove  to  show  people  how  to  be  truly 
happy  and  how  to  avoid  real  unhappiness. 

Economic  Methods 

Although  the  Galilean  prophet  taught  that 
we  should  be  willing  to  lose  our  lives,  yet  He 
usually  added  "  that  we  may  save  them."  He 
preached  that  we  must  die  "  to  live,'*  and 
should  give  up  temporal  things  for  something 
much  more  worth-while.  This  is  very  clearly 
brought  out  in  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and 
in  many  parables.  If  we  forget  the  ideas  of 
our  childhood  and  study  the  New  Testament 
to-day  with  this  thought  in  mind,  it  appears 
fairly  probable  that  Jesus  clearly  recognized 
that  man's  basic  nature  is  to  seek  pleasure  and 
to  avoid  pain,  and  used  this  as  a  foundation 
for  His  teachings.  Likewise,  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent, this  same  theory  is  apparently  the  foun- 
dation of  the  other  most  successful  religious 
teachers  of  history. 

Jesus  capitalized  this  inherent  desire  when 
He  said,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labour 
and  are  heavy  laden."  Why?  ''And  I  will 
give  you  rest''    "Take  my  yoke  upon  you.'* 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE  21 

Why?  " Por  my  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden 
is  light/'  When  studying  the  first  four  books 
of  the  New  Testament,  this  is  most  evident; 
namely,  that  Jesus  continually  based  His 
teachings  on  this  inherent  desire  of  man  to  ob- 
tain pleasure  and  to  avoid  pain.  On  the  other 
hand.  He  showed  the  people  that  real  pleasure 
consists  not  in  the  things  of  the  world,  the 
lust  of  the  flesh  and  such  pleasures  as  the 
Gentiles  sought.  In  His  discussion  of  pain. 
He  told  the  people  to  "  fear  not  them  which 
kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ; 
but  rather  fear  him  which  is  able  to  kill  both 
body  and  soul."  In  the  same  chapter 
(Matthew  10)  we  find  the  words:  "  He  that 
findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  that  loseth 
his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.'* 

Later,  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of 
Matthew,  we  find  the  words:  "  Every  one  that 
hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters, 
or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or 
lands  for  my  name's  sake  shall  receive  an 
hundredfold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting 
life ; "  and  then  He  concludes  by  saying  that 
"  the  last  shall  be  first  and  the  first  shall  be 
last.'' 

Turn  to  any  discourse  by  Jesus — claims  the 
economist — and  He  will  be  found  always  to 
have  given  His  hearers  a  practical  reason  for 
conforming  to  the  laws  of  God.  He  held  up 
before  them   a   punishment  of   "  everlasting 


22  THE  FUTUKE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

death''  if  they  did  not  live  right  and  a  re- 
ward in  the  form  of  '*  real  Hfe  "  if  they  did 
live  right. 

Moreover,  when  turning  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  studying  the  teachings  of  the  patri- 
archs and  prophets,  we  also  apparently  find 
this  inherent  desire  in  man  capitalized  to  an 
infinitely  greater  degree.  There  was  little 
preaching  that  the  Israelites  should  do  right 
for  right's  sake,  but  rather  that  they  should 
avoid  being  annihilated  from  the  face  of  the 
earth ! 

What  History  Teaches 
But  let  us  turn  to  more  recent  history. 
Since  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church, 
the  same  law  certainly  is  apparent.  The  rule 
has  been  that  when  churches  have  held  up  a 
practical  motive  for  religion,  they  have  pros- 
pered; but  not  at  other  times.  The  great 
Reformation  under  Luther  grew  out  of  his 
teaching  the  people  that  they  needed  no  longer 
to  pay  tribute  to  the  Church  of  Rome  in  order 
to  be  saved ;  but  that  they  could  be  "  saved  by 
faith," — simple  faith.  To  the  man  who  had 
been  spending  all  his  earnings  in  purchasing 
indulgences  from  the  priests  of  the  Roman 
Church,  this  was  a  great  revelation,  and  the 
new  Protestant  wing  spread  rapidly  all  over 
Northern  Europe. 

Not  only  did  Luther  give  men  a  reason  for 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE  23 

leaving  the  Roman  Church,  but  he  also  drew 
within  this  new  organization  hundreds  of 
thousands  who  had  drifted  away  from  the 
Church  altogether.  He  offered  the  people  sal- 
vation by  faith — a  salvation  which  heretofore 
they  thought  could  be  purchased  only  widi 
gold. 

But  it  was  only  a  short  while* — the  next 
century — before  people  became  callous  to  this 
doctrine  and  needed  another  motive  for  rally- 
ing to  the  Church,  another  motive  for  living 
right.  At  the  psychological  moment  came 
Calvin,  John  Knox,  and  the  other  founders  of 
sects  which  we  have  to-day, — Presbyterians, 
Methodists,  Baptists,  etc.  In  order  to  inject 
motive  power  into  this  new.  Protestantism, 
they  went  much  further  than  did  Luther. 
These  men  were  not  content  with  telling  the 
people  how  to  be  saved;  but  insisted  that,  if 
not  saved,  they  would  be  "eternally  damned  " ! 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  "hell-fire  and 
brimstone  "  era  which  held  its  own  until  re- 
cently. Certainly,  these  leaders  capitalized 
man's  inherent  desire  to  avoid  pain,  not  to 
mention  utter  destruction!  They  preached 
not  "  right  for  right's  sake ; "  they  urged  at- 
tendance at  church  from  no  sentimental  rea- 
son, hut  rather  to  save  one's  soul  from  eternal 
damnation! 

*  Luther  himself  made  a  great  mistake  in  opposing  the 
masses  in  the  Peasants'  War. 


24  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

Moreover,  a  study  of  any  of  the  great  re- 
vivals which  have  taken  place  during  the  past 
centuries,  will  show  every  one  of  them  to  have 
been  based  on  this  same  teaching  of  reward 
and  punishment.  The  great  religious  leaders 
of  the  churches  have  taught  that  right  living 
will  be  rewarded,  but  that  disobedience  to  the 
laws  of  God  will  be  punished.  The  more  in- 
sistent the  preachers  have  been  along  these 
lines,  the  more  successful  they  apparently  have 
been.  In  direct  proportion  to  the  teaching  of 
reward  and  punishment,  have  our  present 
churches  flourished  since  their  humble  begin- 
nings. Furthermore,  this  applies  to  almost 
every  religion  and  creed.  This  is  especially 
true  of  the  New  England  churches. 

I  have  the  greatest  respect  for  preachers.  I 
believe  that  they  are  much  more  thoughtful 
and  consistent  than  are  the  members  of  their 
congregations.  Their  methods  should  appeal 
to  thoughtful  men  of  intellect;  but  many  of 
them  make  very  little  headway.  Their  teach- 
ing is  like  a  wonderfully  perfect  watch  which 
lacks  only  a  spring !  The  "  spring "  which 
their  sermons  lack  is  the  "  reward  and  punish- 
ment '*  feature.  These  preachers  are  trying  to 
teach  that  we  should  do  right  for  right's  sake, 
which  clearly  is  contrary  to  economic  law  and 
certainly  to  the  lessons  of  history. 

Does  not  this  criticism  apply  to-day  to  many 
of  the  most  earnest  preachers  throughout  the 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE  25 

land?     Otherwise,  why  are  so  many  churches 
decHning  in  power  and  influence  ? 


Why  the  Church  is  Weak  To-day 

To  the  economist  the  answer  is  very  clear. 
The  Church  to-day  offers  no  motive  which  ap- 
peals to  men  and  women.  The  "  reward  and 
punishment "  doctrine  has  been  dropped  with- 
out any  other  having  been  given  in  its  place. 
It  looks  as  though  the  hard-working  preachers 
have  temporarily  forgotten  their  first  lesson  in 
economics  and,  as  is  shown  by  the  growth 
statistics  of  all  prominent  denominations  ex- 
cept two,  are  urging  that  man  should  do  right 
"  because  it  is  right,"  a  doctrine  which  never 
has  secured  and  never  will  hold  a  following. 

The  great  mass  of  Protestant  and  Hebrew 
churches  are  at  present  very  inactive  com- 
pared with  former  times,  although  they  are 
doing  much  good  in  many  ways.  Many 
thoughtful  and  progressive  men  of  almost 
every  community  are  no  longer  identified  with 
church  work;  while  the  Labour  people  seem 
to  distrust  all  churches.  The  Sunday  serv- 
ices are  poorly  attended,  the  mid-week  prayer- 
meetings  are  almost  ignored,  the  Sunday- 
schools  are  not  taken  seriously;  while  preach- 
ers are  very  poorly  paid. 

Of  course,  there  are  exceptions  in  the  cases 
of  special  churches  which  temporarily  either 


26  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

have  a  strong  man  as  a  preacher  or  are  gal- 
vanized by  large  gifts  from  certain  members. 
Church  workers,  however,  tell  me  that  city 
missions,  settlement  houses  and  soup  kitchens 
are  but  artificial  stimulants,  good  for  only  a 
limited  time;  while  the  "Institutional" 
church,  which  was  once  hailed  as  the  solution 
of  the  problem,  has  signally  failed  in  its  pur- 
pose. The  future  of  the  churches  depends  not 
on  these  artificial  efforts.  Churches  need 
neither  buildings  nor  gifts  in  order  to  be 
powers  in  the  community.  They  need  a  mes- 
sage, and  this  message  will  be  based  upon  the 
old  and  ever  powerful  fundamental  economic 
theory  of  reward  and  punishment. 

Do  not  criticize  preachers  for  placing  the 
soft  pedal  on  certain  old  theological  doctrines. 
Civilization  has  outgrown  such  teaching  in  the 
same  way  that  the  masses  had  outgrown  the 
purchasing  of  indulgences  when  Luther  offered 
them  another  doctrine  more  worth-while. 
Thus,  is  it  not  probably  true  that  the  present 
condition  of  the  churches  is  due  partly  to  this 
fact:  that  "  Heaven  "  as  a  reward  and  "  Hell " 
as  a  punishment  have  been  withdrawn,  while 
no  other  suitable  reward  or  punishment  has 
been  held  up  in  place  thereof?  More  than 
this,  until  some  suitable  substitute  has  been 
found,  the  churches  may  continue  to  lie  dor- 
mant. 

Therefore,  it  appears  that  the  future  of  the 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE     27 

churches  probably  depends  upon  finding  some 
other  revv^ard  to  offer  and  some  other  punish- 
ment to  hold  up,  or  upon  placing  a  new  and 
practical  interpretation  on  these  two  words, 
such  as  will  appeal  to  men  to-day.  Certainly, 
human  nature  is  the  same  now  as  in  the  days 
of  Jesus,  Calvin,  Luther,  or  the  old  Hebrew 
prophets;  and  man's  natural  desire  is  still  to 
seek  real  happiness  and  avoid  disaster. 
Churches,  like  other  organizations,  must  work 
out  their  salvation  along  economic  lines  and 
rise  or  fall  in  power  as  they  utilize  or  ignore 
these  economic  laws. 

Churches  have  a  great  opportunity;  for 
man  has  a  spiritual  side  as  well  as  a  physical 
or  intellectual.  They  are  far  more  necessary 
to  an  efficient  community  than  the  dispensary 
or  school,  and  preachers  are  needed  by  the 
people  much  more  than  are  physicians  or  col- 
lege professors.  Hence,  notwithstanding  all 
that  has  been  said,  I  am  a  great  optimist  as  to 
the  future  of  the  churches.  The  churches  are 
lying  dormant  to-day  only  preparatory  to  a 
great  social  awakening  in  which  they  will  lead. 
Yes,  a  great  religious  revival  is  the  greatest 
need  of  the  world  at  this  very  hour. 

What  the  Church  Will  Preach 

As  to  what  this  new  message  of  the 
churches  may  be,  the  reports  which  the  Bab- 


28  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

son  Statistical  Organization  is  daily  receiving 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  suggest  the  fol- 
lowing: First,  let  it  he  said  that  these  reports 
show  that  the  only  development  which  can 
possibly  keep  democracy  afloat  is  a  revival  of 
religion.  Under  the  old  system  of  centralized 
government,  conditions  depended  only  upon 
the  character  of  the  rulers  and  not  upon  the 
character  of  the  masses.  A  government  could 
once  prosper  whatever  the  conditions  of  the 
churches,  or  even  without  any  educational 
system  for  the  people;  but  to-day,  with  every 
person  a  voter  and  with  all  votes  counting  the 
same,  the  stability  of  the  government  depends 
not  upon  wealth  nor  armies,  but  upon  the 
character  of  the  electorate.  With  the  ''  initia- 
tive and  referendum,"  the  stability  of  nations 
depends  even  more  directly  upon  the  character 
and  intelligence  of  the  people  as  a  whole.  Be- 
fore the  days  of  public  schools,  only  a  com- 
parative few  could  read  and  those  who  could 
were  trained  by  the  churches  to  read  the  best 
literature.  To-day,  however,  almost  every  one 
is  able  to  read. 

The  love  of  money  on  the  part  of  both  la- 
bour and  capital,  the  enjoyment  of  special 
privileges,  the  effect  of  tariffs,  subsidies,  and 
position,  the  evil  influence  of  banking  inter- 
ests, the  growth  of  the  department  store,  the 
decadence  of  the  legal  professon  and  the  fact 
that  all  of  us,  good  and  bad,  are  judged  by 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE  29 

what  we  have,  irrespective  of  how  we  got  it 
and  what  we  are  doing  with  it,  are  undermin- 
ing the  very  foundations  of  the  repubhc. 
Furthermore,  these  are  only  a  few  of  the 
things  which  are  sure  to  bring  ruin  upon  us 
unless  we  have  a  revival  of  religion. 

With  these  facts  and  past  history  in  mind, 
it  is  hoped  that  before  long  the  churches  will 
break  forth  with  some  new  message  like  this; 
The  survival  of  our  republic  depends  upon  the 
immediate  teaching  in  the  homes  and  schools, 
of  what  is  really  worth-while,  and  we  must  all 
have  the  spirit  of  Jesus  in  our  buying  and  sell- 
ing, borrozving  and  loaning,  employing  and 
serving;  that  is,  in  all  we  do,  say,  and  think. 
Let  the  churches  again  teach  the  value  of 
home  prayers  and  home  training,  and  let 
scholars  at  school  be  rigidly  marked  on  the 
fundamentals  of  character,  health  and  useful- 
ness, and  let  us  parents  be  fined  for  our  chil- 
dren's shortcomings. 

In  the  same  way  the  churches  will  some  day 
insist  that  unless  the  development  of  right- 
eousness— in  its  practical  interpretation — im- 
mediately becomes  the  fundamental  purpose 
of  home,  school,  and  press,  this  and  other  na- 
tions (depending  upon  the  rule  of  the  masses) 
will  end  in  disaster  and  the  clock  of  civiliza- 
tion be  set  back  several  centuries.  Here's 
something  practical  to  hold  up  as  a  punish- 
ment.    As  churches  once  grew  by  preaching 


30  THE  FUTUEE  OF  THE  CHUECHES 

that  "  the  wages  of  sin  is  death/*  so  they  can 
again  wax  strong  by  holding  before  the  peo- 
ple the  dangers  of  a  wrecked  republic  ruled  by 
atheism  and  indifference. 

But  to  counterbalance  this  dismal  message 
of  warning  (appealing  to  man's  desire  to 
avoid  disaster),  there  will  be  another  message 
promising  reward.  The  churches  will  once 
more  break  with  the  vested  interests,  and 
again  actively  w^ork  for  all  truly  educational 
and  cooperative  movements  to  equalize  oppor- 
tunity,— such  legislation,  for  instance,  as  the 
enactment  of  revised  inheritance  laws  tending 
to  eliminate  legacies  so  large  as  to  give  the  re- 
cipients more  than  they  need,  the  money  thus 
received  from  inheritance  taxes  being  used  for 
vocational  continuation  schools.  In  addition 
to  preaching  disaster  for  failing  to  develop 
righteousness,  the  churches  will  also  show  the 
people  how  much  better  conditions  will  be 
when  operating  on  cooperative  principles,  con- 
sequently attracting  through  offers  of  reward 
those  who  will  not  be  attracted  by  fear  of  dis- 
aster. The  real  Heaven  is  an  upright  com- 
munity on  earth  where  every  one  has  true 
happiness  through  the  enjoyment  of  health  and 
service.  The  true  God  is  that  Divine  being 
w^hich  is  seeking  to  bring  this  about. 


PAST,  PRESENT,  FUTURE  31 

EACH  IN  HIS  OWN  TONGUE 

A  fire-mist  and  a  planet — 

A  crystal  and  a  cell — 

A  jelly-fish  and  a  saurin 

And  caves  where  the  cave-men  dwell ; 

Then  a  sense  of  law  and  beauty, 

And  a  face  turned  from  the  clod — 

Some  call  it  Evolution, 

And  others  call  it  God. 

A  haze  on  the  far  horizon, 
The  infinite  tender  sky, 
The  ripe  rich  tint  of  the  cornfields, 
And  the  wild  geese  sailing  high — 
And  all  over  upland  and  lowland 
The  charm  of  the  goldenrod — 
Some  of  us  call  it  Autumn, 
And  others  call  it  God. 

Like  tides  on  a  crescent  sea-beach 
When  the  moon  is  new  and  thin. 
Into  our  hearts  come  yearnings. 
Come  welling  and  surging  in — 
Come  from  the  mystic  ocean 
Whose  rim  no  foot  has  trod — 
Some  of  us  call  it  Longing, 
And  others  call  it  God. 

A  picket  frozen  on  duty — 
A  mother  starved  for  her  brood — 
Socrates  drinking  the  hemlock — 
And  Jesus  on  the  rood; 


32  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

And  millions,  who,  humble  and  nameless, 
The  straight  hard  pathway  plod — 
Some  call  it  Consecration, 
And  others  call  it  God. 

— W,  H,  Carrutk 


II 

Another  Point  of  View 


II 

ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW 

A  STUDY  of  history  during  the  past 
nineteen  centuries*  shows  that  our 
ancestors  were  originally  vassals  or 
slaves  of  the  lord  or  duke  in  whose  province 
they  were  born.  Christianity,  as  distinct  from 
older  religions,  won  the  respect  and  loyalty  of 
these  people  because  it  resulted  in  their  throw- 
ing off  serfdom.  The  reason  why  the  Roman 
and  other  nations  so  persecuted  the  Jews  was 
not  on  account  of  their  theology,  but  because 
their  churches  elevated  the  people  and  provided 
for  them  greater  opportunities.  In  the  early 
days  the  churches  fought  for  the  "  under  dog  " 
and  so  long  as  they  did,  they  prospered  and 
grew  mightily,  notwithstanding  poverty  and 
persecution. 

In  accordance  with  the  law  of  action  and 
reaction,  these  churches  gradually  became  rich 
until,  under  Constantine,  Christianity  became 

*  A  study  of  the  Jewish  Church  previous  to  the  com- 
ing of  Christ  shows  the  same  wonderful  history  and  a 
synopsis  thereof  is  here  omitted  only  because  of  lack 
of  space. 

35 


36  THE  FUTUEE  OF  THE  CHUECHES 

the  fashionable  religion  and  the  cross  was  no 
longer  a  sign  for  persecution,  but  rather  be- 
came an  ornament  of  fashion.  From  that 
time,  and  for  several  centuries  thereafter,  the 
vital  power  of  Christianity  waned  until  it 
reached  a  very  low  ebb,  just  preceding  the 
breaking  up  of  the  feudal  system.  Newton's 
law  of  action  and  reaction  applies  to  church 
history  as  it  does  to  industry  and  commerce. 
This  is  shown  by  the  accompanying  chart. 

After  our  ancestors  had  cast  off  serfdom, 
the  land  still  belonged  to  the  lord  or  duke  who 
inherited  it.  It  was  many  centuries  after  these 
ancestors  ceased  being  vassals  before  they 
were  allowed  to  own  land.  Discontent,  aris- 
ing from  the  feudal  system,  had  been  gradu- 
ally growing  as  the  influence  of  Christianity 
had  been  waning,  until  about  the  time  of  the 
Reformation.  What  brought  about  the  Ref- 
ormation ?  Secular  history  states  that  it  was  a 
revival  of  Christianity  resulting  from  the  in- 
terest which  certain  churches  took  in  aiding 
the  masses  to  destroy  the  economic  system  of 
that  day. 

As  the  Christian  churches  of  the  early  cen- 
turies got  their  start  by  interesting  themselves 
in  breaking  up  serfdom,  so  the  Protestant  wing 
was  later  greatly  aided  by  the  interest  which  a 
little  band  of  fighting  churches  took  in  break- 
ing up  feudalism.  On  the  other  hand,  just  as 
the  influence  of  the  early  Church  waned,  after 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW  37 

Christianity  became  popular  through  the 
power  of  Constantine,  so  the  power  of  the 
later  Protestant  wing  began  to  wane  when  it, 
in  turn,  became  prosperous  and  popular. 

The  third  great  landmark  in  church  history 
of  the  past  nineteen  centuries  came  when  the 
common  people  were  granted  the  privilege  of 
having  education  and  the  right  to  worship  God 
as  they  desired.  In  this  great  movement  for 
freedom  of  thought,  certain  churches  were  a 
prominent  factor,  and  the  influence  of  such 
churches  increased  greatly  thereby.  On  the 
other  hand,  after  this  third  step  had  been 
taken,  these  churches  again  began  to  rest  upon 
their  laurels,  and  consequently  again  declined 
in  power  and  influence. 

Modern-  Church  Movements 
The  next  movement  came  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  when  man  reached  his  fourth  step, 
namely,  the  acquiring  of  political  freedom.  In 
the  early  centuries,  as  above  stated,  serfdom 
was  eliminated  through  the  teachings  of  the 
early  Christian  churches;  then  in  the  Middle 
Ages  feudalism  was  broken  up  through  the  in- 
fluence of  a  certain  group  of  churches  when 
each  family  was  given  the  opportunity  to  own 
land ;  next,  the  right  to  worship  God  and  study 
as  one  pleased  was  secured  through  another 
group  of  churches,  contrary  to  the  wishes  of 
the  vested  interests  of  that  day;  and  finally. 


38  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

the  churches  obtained  for  the  masses  political 
freedom,  or  the  right  to  rule.  Moreover,  a 
study  of  history  shows  that  this  last  struggle, 
wherein  the  vested  interests  were  stripped  of 
their  right  to  rule,  was  the  most  bitter  of  all, 
and  again,  it  was  the  sacrifice  of  a  small  body 
of  fighting  churches  which,  in  their  poverty 
and  under  the  keenest  persecution,  brought  this 
about.  Thus,  this  new  group  came  to  the 
forefront,  and  the  churches  of  to-day  owe 
much  to  these  martyrs.  Once  again  then  the 
law  of  action  and  reaction  was  evident,  for 
as  these  churches,  like  their  predecessors,  be- 
came prosperous,  their  interest  in  the  masses 
waned  and  their  power  correspondingly  de- 
clined. 

Nature  Knows  No  Favourites 
The  same  thing  is  true  of  nations.  The  race 
as  a  whole  must  prosper  and  progress  in  order 
that  any  geographical  unit  of  it  may  flourish 
at  its  best.  We  must  lift  our  brother  up  in 
order  to  make  a  customer  of  him.  He  must 
be  well-governed,  in  good  condition,  and  fairly 
thrifty  and  content,  or  he  becomes  a  vexatious 
neighbour  and  a  source  of  cost  and  annoyance 
to  us  in  many  ways. 

We  thus  begin  to  perceive  the  great  fact 
that  nature  knows  no  favourites  among  the 
peoples,  and  that  Providence,  equally  con- 
cerned about  the  sheep  in  every  fold,  has  so 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW  39 

arranged  it  that  the  man  or  nation  that  gets 
ahead  must  pull  up  some  backward  brother 
after  him.  It  may  be  that  a  failure  to  under- 
stand this  accounts  for  the  fact  that  the  na- 
tions have  always  heretofore  begun  to  retro- 
grade and  have  fallen  into  decadence  as  soon 
as  a  certain  stage  of  culture  had  been  attained. 
They  progressed  as  far  as  they  could  without 
carrying  the  rest  of  humanity  with  them  on 
the  upward  path. 

As  long  as  Rome  gave  something  of  value  to 
every  subject  people — roads,  bridges,  laws, 
literature,  and  a  religion  superior  to  the  bar- 
baric faiths  it  supplanted,  her  world  empire 
stood  and  grew.  As  soon  as  France  had  re- 
placed her  absolutist  dynasty  by  a  government 
of  the  people,  the  task  was  imposed  upon  her 
of  sharing  with  other  nations  the  great  and 
beneficent  discovery  she  had  made  that  the 
masses  of  mankind  were  something  more  than 
cattle,  vassals  of  an  arrogant  ruling  caste.  As 
soon  as  America  had  made  a  notable  forward 
step  in  government  which  vastly  bettered  life 
conditions  for  the  masses,  all  the  world  came 
here  to  learn  about  it  and  enjoy  it.  We  were 
forced  to  educate  and  assimilate  them,  and  as 
soon  as  our  will  and  ability  to  do  this  had  been 
demonstrated,  dependencies  devolved  upon  us 
and  our  field  of  labour  was  enlarged. 

Hence,    history   shows   plainly   that   when 
churches  or  nations  have  been  sacrificing  or 


40  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

fighting  to  bring  about  more  equal  opportu- 
nity, the  people  have  listened  to  their  doctrine 
and  have  respected  their  leaders.  Under  these 
conditions,  churches  and  nations  have  waxed 
strong  and  powerful,  however  poor  or  perse- 
cuted they  may  have  been.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  churches  or  nations  have  been  prosper- 
ous and  considered  immediate  personal  gain, 
and  ceased  fighting  for  the  equalization  of  op- 
portunity, then  their  influence  has  been  com- 
paratively small,  even  though  their  numbers 
were  great. 

Other  Churches  Likewise 
It  is  true  that  these  pages  have  treated  only 
of  the  so-called  "  Christian  "  churches,  includ- 
ing the  great  Protestant,  Roman  Catholic  and 
Greek  divisions;  but,  as  heretofore  suggested, 
the  same  laws  applied  to  the  rise  and  fall  of 
the  Jewish  Church  previous  to  the  split  of  the 
first  century.  It  should,  moreover,  be  remem- 
bered that  civilization  fails  to  recognize  the 
great  service  which  the  Jews  have  rendered 
along  the  lines  of  social  progress  both  before 
and  since  this  dissension  in  their  ranks.  It 
probably  also  is  true  that  the  various  other 
great  religions  of  the  world  have  a  similar  his- 
tory, and  the  rise  and  fall  of  their  churches, 
during  the  past  centuries,  has  coincided  ab- 
solutely with  whether,  for  the  time  being,  they 
have  given  the  people  something  worth-while 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW         41 

or  whether  the  people  have  had  to  fight  alone 
for  their  freedom  and  happiness.  Hence,  the 
great  conflict  of  the  future  may  not  be  between 
Protestants  and  Roman  Catholics,  as  so  many 
pretend  to  fear,  but  may  again  be  between 
Christians  and  Mohammedans  or  between  the 
East  and  the  West.  Furthermore,  such  a  con- 
flict might  unite  these  great  wings  of  the 
Christian  Church — Roman,  Greek,  and  Protes- 
tant— even  with  the  Hebrew  or  mother  Church 
itself. 

The  Question  of  To-day 
The  world  is  now  in  the  fifth  era  of  the  con- 
flict. Serfdom  has  been  abolished;  feudalism 
has  been  broken  up;  freedom  of  education  and 
worship  has  been  secured;  the  right  of  the 
people  to  rule  has  been  established;  but  still 
there  is  a  great  contrast  between  the  opportu- 
nities of  the  children  of  the  rich  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  poor. 

Many  opinions  exist  as  to  how  this  defect 
can  be  remedied,  and,  generally  speaking,  the 
thinking  people  are  divided  into  two  groups : 

(1)  The  larger  group  includes  those  who 
are  generous  and  anxious  that  all  shall  have  a 
fair  chance  in  life,  but  in  their  efforts  ignore 
fundamental  economic  law  such  as  the  law  of 
action  and  reaction,  the  law  of  supply  and  de- 
mand, the  law  of  reward  and  punishment  and 
other  laws  which  might  readily  be  mentioned. 


42  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

This  first  group  is  made  up  largely  of  the 
working  classes,  but  includes  many  others  who 
style  themselves  *'  progressives "  or  "  radi- 
cals." 

(2)  The  smaller  group — ^but  often  the  more 
powerful — includes  those  who  have  the  proper 
notions  about  fundamental  economic  law,  and 
thus  are  opposed  to  government  interference 
with  enterprise,  but  who  are  determined  to  re- 
tain all  the  property  which  they  now  have  and 
to  bequeath  fortunes  to  their  children.  This 
group  is  made  up  mostly  of  those  who  have 
inherited  property,  but  includes  all  who  style 
themselves  "  conservatives "  or  "  capitalists." 

Statistics  show  that  each  of  these  two  great 
groups  is  right  on  one  of  the  two  important 
features  of  progress,  and  wrong  on  the  other. 
For  instance,  the  working  classes  are  justified 
in  their  desire  for  further  opportunities,  but 
are  wholly  wrong  in  their  various  legislative 
plans  which  so  entirely  ignore  the  fundamental 
laws  of  action  and  reaction,  supply  and  de- 
mand, reward  and  punishment.  Further,  the 
capitalist  group  is  right  in  its  opposition  to 
much  of  the  legislation  to-day,  but  is  mistaken 
in  its  idea  that  property  is  so  very  sacred  and 
should  be  given  away  or  bequeathed  by  the 
owner  to  any  one  he  desires. 

What  the  Hebrews  Taught 
No  authentic  records  show  the  Mosaic  land 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW         43 

system  or  the  Jubilee  Year  was  ever  observed 
by  the  Jews.  May  not  the  downfall  of  the 
Hebrews  have  been  partly  due  to  their  failure 
so  to  observe  them  ? 

Certainly  there  were  four  fundamental 
principles  underlying  the  Mosaic  economy 
outlined  in  these  Laws  for  which  all  the 
churches  in  America  pretend  to  stand. 

(1)  The  land  was  originally  distributed  by 
lot,  each  family  having  the  same  original  op- 
portunity so  far  as  legislation  could  provide  it. 

(2)  After  prescribing  a  few  rules  to  the 
game  (which  rules  applied  to  all  alike,  the 
weak  and  the  strong),  the  fundamental  laws 
of  nature,  such  as  the  laws  of  supply  and  de- 
mand, and  reward  and  punishment,  were  al- 
lowed full  sway  for  fifty  years.  This  encour- 
aged personal  ambition  and  initiative. 

(3)  At  the  end  of  fifty  years,  redistribution 
was  provided,  debts  were  cancelled  and  prop- 
erty that  had  been  bought  or  sold  reverted  to 
its  original  owners.  This  prevented  an  aris- 
tocracy from  growing  up  through  inheritance. 

(4)  The  Church  was  placed  on  an  economic 
basis  and  the  people  were  made  to  pay  for 
their  religious  privileges  or  go  without  them. 

In  other  words,  the  Hebrew  prophets  were 
apparently  exponents  of  the  "  laisses  faire'* 
doctrine  for  each  individual,  so  far  as  it  ap- 
plied to  his  own  efforts;  but  their  plan  was  to 
prevent  one  generation  from  living  on  the 


44  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

fruits  of  a  previous  generation  except  as  all 
shared  the  benefits  equally. 

Of  course,  in  our  present  state  of  civiliza- 
tion, it  would  be  impossible  to  apply  this  jubi- 
lee year  principle,  although  our  bankruptcy 
laws  are  founded  thereon;  but  the  Church 
could  unite  with  the  masses  and  fight  to  give 
them  equal  hygienic  and  educational  advan- 
tages, and  to  break  up  aristocracy  and  abnor- 
mal power  acquired  through  inheritance.  The 
masses  should  not  object  to  how  much  any 
man  honestly  earns  nor  do  they  object  to  in- 
heritances for  protection  purposes,  but  they  do 
strenuously  object  to  wealth  obtained  through 
manipulation,  and  inheritances  which  result  in 
endowing  families. 


Economic  Independence 

The  purpose  of  the  churches  is  not  to  re- 
distribute property.  The  purpose  of  the 
churches  should  be  rather  to  show  people  how 
to  live,  and  to  show  them  that  happiness  does 
not  come  from  material  things  alone.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  are 
four  sides  to  life:  the  physical,  the  intellectual, 
and  the  material,  as  well  as  the  spiritual,  and 
that  true  progress  comes  only  through  the 
simultaneous  development  of  all  four. 

Just  at  the  moment,  many  churches  are  do- 
ing splendid  work  along  certain  lines,  but  are 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW  45 

they  accomplishing  much  toward  helping  the 
masses  either  materially  or  spiritually?  Yet, 
history  plainly  shows  that  for  missionary 
movements  to  prosper,  the  people  must  simul- 
taneously be  helped  physically,  mentally,  ma- 
terially and  spiritually.  Even  Jesus  healed  the 
sick,  fed  the  hungry,  and  continually  fought 
for  the  masses  simultaneously  with  preaching 
to  them  of  what  is  worth-while  in  life. 
Therefore,  history  apparently  suggests  that 
the  churches  will  again  acquire  power  and  in- 
fluence only  as  they  become  factors  in  solving 
the  problems  of  the  day.  The  revived 
churches,  or  some  new  churches  springing  up, 
will  take  hold  of  the  present  and  fifth  great 
question;  namely,  the  further  equalization  of 
opportunity,  so  that,  as  far  as  possible,  all 
shall  have  an  equal  chance  in  starting  the  race 
of  life.  Moreover,  as  the  churches  remain  the 
defenders  of  this  chance,  their  influence  will 
be  great. 

Some  Questions 
Why  should  churches  hesitate  in  aiding  the 
masses  in  their  struggle?  The  creeds  demand 
that  we  should  not  love  the  world  nor  the 
things  that  are  in  the  world.  Do  we  members 
not  profess  to  believe  that  he  who  loses  his  life 
is  greater  than  he  who  gains  it?  Do  we  not 
every  Sunday  even  sing  hymns  of  praise  sug- 
gesting that  we  care  not  for  food  nor  raiment, 


46  THE  FUTURE  OP  THE  CHURCHES 

but  only  for  the  things  eternal?  Every  stu- 
dent who  will  carefully  read  the  teachings  of 
the  churches  cannot  help  being  impressed  with 
one  thing  more  than  any  other;  namely,  that 
money  is  of  no  account,  and  the  only  thing 
worth-while  is  service  to  others! 

Of  course,  the  hard-working  ministers  still 
preach  this  doctrine;  but  they  are  unable  to 
make  converts  because  the  world  does  not 
take  them  seriously.  Perhaps  we  church 
members  hold  too  tightly  to  all  we  have  got 
and  are  too  determined  that  our  children  shall 
have  and  retain  all  that  we  leave!  Speaking 
of  children,  do  we  not  forget  that  the  masses 
are  more  fond  of  their  children  than  of  any- 
thing else?  It  is  only  natural  for  them  to  be 
jealous  when  our  children  inherit  goodly  sums 
of  money  and  their  children  inherit  nothing 
but  liabilities. 

Therefore  it  appears  that  the  churches  will 
again  become  a  force  in  the  community  and 
convince  men  that  money  is  not  happiness  and 
wealth  is  not  success,  only  when  they  again 
seriously  attempt  to  equalize  opportunity  and 
cease  being  a  party  to  the  mad  race  for  money, 
show  and  pleasure.  When  we  begin  to  seek 
things  worth-while,  then  the  world  will  take 
our  professions  more  seriously,  but  not  until 
then.  The  churches  will  prosper  only  when 
they  back  the  masses  in  their  movement  for 
more  equal  opportunities. 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW         47 

Four  Suggestions 
Moreover,  this  will  not  only  enable  the 
churches  to  demand  the  attention  of  the  world 
and  once  more  lead  people  to  the  things  worth- 
while; but  the  reaction  upon  ourselves  as  in- 
dividuals may  be  beneficial ;  viz., 

(i)  When  a  larger  portion  of  our  property 
is  redistributed  through  educational  and  other 
forms  to  those  who  are  worthy  but  unfortunate, 
which  is  what  the  masses  are  really  seeking  for 
to-day,  we  shall  take  a  greater  interest  in  state 
affairs  and  fulfill  our  duty  as  citizens. 

(2)  When  our  children  depend  upon  their 
own  efforts  to  succeed,  instead  of  what  they  in- 
herit from  us,  then  we  will  give  much  greater 
attention  to  training  them — more  time  to  our 
boys  and  girls  and  less  time  to  business  and 
pleasure.  Certainly  their  own  efforts  will  be 
greater. 

(3)  When  our  wives  can  no  longer  depend 
upon  the  property  which  we  leave,  then  will  the 
women  of  the  homes  demand  each  year  the  pro- 
portion of  our  incomes  to  which  they  are  en- 
titled, or  else  we  will  have  them  reasonably  pro- 
tected by  life  insurance  or  in  some  other  prac- 
tical economic  way. 

(4)  Only  by  giving  young  people  a  certain 
amount  of  property  as  well  as  votes  (and,  of 
course,  neither  should  be  given  to  a  young  per- 
son until  he  or  she  has  completed  a  certain 
course  of  training)  will  the  masses  be  made  to 


48  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

be  conservative  or  will  the  rights  of  property  be 
recognized  and  protected. 

None  of  the  most  radical  of  the  masses 
want  rich  children  to  suffer,  but  rather  simply 
to  be  dependent  on  their  own  resources,  as  are 
the  children  of  the  great  majority.  The 
masses  to-day  are  not  asking  us  to  divide  with 
them  our  property,  nor  in  any  way  neglect  our 
wives  or  other  worthy  dependents,  but  simply 
that  we  arrange  things  so  that,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, their  children  will  have  as  fair  a  chance 
in  the  race  of  life  as  our  children, — and  our 
children  as  fair  a  chance  as  theirs,  for  cer- 
tainly too  much  money  is  also  a  curse.  This 
means  that  the  fifth  great  era  will  really  not 
be  a  fight  for  socialism  (which  is  purely  im- 
practicable now  to  consider),  but  rather  for 
the  breaking  up  of  aristocracy,  power  and 
wealth  acquired  through  inheritance. 

The  thinking  radicals  of  to-day  are  willing 
to  let  the  "  laissez  faire  "  doctrine  apply  pro- 
vided it  shall  apply  to  all  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible. They  are  beginning  to  realize  that 
nothing  is  gained  through  the  attempted 
artificial  regulation  of  wages,  prices,  rents, 
or  interest.  If  there  is  anything  which 
the  churches  plainly  profess  and  in  prac- 
tice Ignore,  it  is  concerning  the  accumula- 
tion of  money,  but  will  the  churches  ever 
again  become  powerful  until  they  are  consist- 


ANOTHER  POINT  OF  VIEW         49 

ent  on  this  point  and  at  least  aid  the  masses 
in  eHminating  unjust  handicaps,  and  at  the 
same  time  allow  themselves  more  time  and 
energy  for  gaining  the  things  worth-while? 

Charities 

The  great  mass  of  people  to-day  do  not  want 
charities.  All  they  want  is  a  "  square  deal  '* 
— as  equal  a  chance  as  it  is  possible  for  them 
to  get,  and  a  reasonable  amount  of  health, 
faith,  education,  and  material  welfare.  Most 
charities  insult  instead  of  aid.  No  self-re- 
specting man  of  the  working  classes,  whom 
the  churches  are  seeking  to  win,  ever  solicits 
you  or  me  for  money.  Most  solicitations  for 
charities  come  to  us  from  our  church  people 
themselves  for  some  pet  work  of  their  own  or 
of  their  friends.  Moreover,  most  of  us  give 
to  these  charities  simply  because  we  do  not 
wish  to  offend  these  friends.  We  know  that 
present  attempts  to  distribute  prosperity 
through  charities  are  like  endeavouring  to  irri- 
gate the  Sahara  Desert  by  carrying  water  in 
buckets. 

Not  only  are  our  charities  making  only  the 
faintest  impression  on  relieving  poverty  but  if 
the  churches  would  stop  begging  continually 
for  money,  even  they  would  be  much  better 
off.  Jesus  said,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature;"  but  He 
never  said  "  collect  money  and  send  others  to 


50  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

do  it  for  you."  He  constantly  taught  people 
to  give,  but  you  cannot  find  a  single  word 
urging  us  to  collect  money  of  others  or  to  run 
church  fairs  and  suppers  for  spreading  the 
gospel. 

The  gospel  on  which  the  churches  prosper 
demands  direct  personal  service  in  the  inter- 
ests of  others — not  through  paid  agents — and 
only  as  we  give  this  service  by  training  the 
children  in  our  homes,  by  helping  the  em- 
ployees in  our  business,  by  aiding  neighbours 
on  our  street,  and  finally,  uniting  with  the 
masses  by  working  through  schools  and  poli- 
tics for  laws  to  equalize  opportunity,  can  we 
hope  again  to  command  the  respect  of  the 
world  and  interest  mankind  in  the  things 
worth-while. 

Before  the  churches  can  make  people  be- 
lieve in  the  doctrine  that  "  life  is  more  than 
meat "  and  friends  more  to  be  desired  than 
gold,  must  we  not,  as  their  representatives, 
give  up  something  of  what  we  have  and  cease 
our  continual  chase  for  more? 


Ill 

Competitors  of  the  Church 


Ill 

COMPETITORS  OP  THE  CHURCH 

IN  the  early  days,  the  Church  was  about 
the  only  institution  of  the  community, 
and  there  were  only  one  or  two  churches 
in  each  community.  Not  only  have  the 
churches  since  been  divided  and  duplicated,  but 
numerous  other  agencies  have  come  in  to  com- 
pete with  the  Church.  Many  of  these  institu- 
tions, such  as  the  Sunday-school,  Christian 
Endeavour  societies.  Young  Peoples'  Unions, 
Epworth  Leagues,  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations,  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociations, Evangelical  Alliances,  Men's  Clubs, 
Laymen's  Leagues,  Knights  of  Columbus,  and 
various  other  organizations  are  fostered  by  the 
Church.  Moreover,  these  organizations  are 
considered  by  many  as  beneficial  to  the 
Church.  Certainly,  they  are  all  doing  good 
work  and  probably  are  beneficial  to  the 
Church.  Almost  every  successful  business 
man,  however,  will  say  that  he  has  been  suc- 
cessful by  concentrating  his  energies  on  one 
institution.  Statistics  indicate  that  this  policy 
is  the  best.     If  so,  it  is  questionable  whether 

53 


54  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

these  institutions  should  be  operated  sepa- 
rately. A  person  has  only  a  certain  amount  of 
time  and  energy.  If  he  gives  it  to  an  adjunct 
of  the  Church,  he  fails  to  give  it  to  the 
Church. 

I  personally  owe  more  to  the  Christian 
Endeavour  Society  than  to  any  other  existing 
organization.  After  joining  the  church  at 
fourteen  years  of  age,  I  found  nothing  to  in- 
terest me  until  I  became  interested  in  the 
Christian  Endeavour  movement.  This  gave 
me  an  opportunity  for  expression  in  a  religious 
way  which  held  me  until  I  went  to  college.  It 
truly  saved  my  soul,  and  I  shall  always  feel 
deeply  grateful  to  Father  Endeavour  Clark 
and  all  others  connected  with  the  movement. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Church  had  done  its 
duty  by  its  young  people,  would  there  have 
been  any  opportunity  for  liie  Christian  En- 
deavour movement? 

The  answer  is  made  that  these  various  soci- 
eties combine  different  denominations;  that  if 
each  denomination  attempted  to  do  work  sim- 
ply as  a  church,  the  work  would  all  be  divided. 
Of  course,  so  long  as  the  churches  are  divided, 
this  is  very  true;  but  there  is  no  real  reason 
why  all  groups  in  the  churches  could  not  work 
together.  A  study  of  successful  business  or- 
ganizations strongly  suggests  that  the  future 
of  the  Church  demands  both  fewer  denomina- 
tions and  fewer  organizations  within  each  de- 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    55 

nomination  with  the  ultimate  goal  of  elimi- 
nating the  "  organization  "  idea  entirely. 


Lodges 

The  greatest  competition  which  the  Church 
faces  to-day  is  in  the  various  lodges  and  socie- 
ties of  all  kinds  and  descriptions.  The  most 
prominent  of  these  organizations  are  the  Ma- 
sons, Odd  Fellows,  Moose,  Elks,  Knights 
Templar,  etc. ;  but  there  are  actually  thousands 
of  different  societies  scattered  throughout  the 
country.  In  one  New  England  town  there 
are  over  ninety  of  these  different  organizations 
and  to  one  of  them  twenty  per  cent,  of  the 
male  adult  population  belongs.  Not  a  word 
of  criticism  should  be  spoken  against  these 
lodges  and  societies.  All  of  them  are  doing  a 
tremendous  lot  of  good.  Most  of  them  are 
founded  directly  on  religious  principles  and 
operate  with  a  religious  ritual.  Some  of  them 
even  insist  that  their  members  shall  be  con- 
nected with  some  church  as  a  requisite  to 
membership  in  a  lodge.  The  leaders  of  all 
these  movements  refuse  to  consider  their  or- 
ganizations as  taking  the  place  of  the  Church, 
but  always  put  them  second  to  the  Church. 

Statistics,  however,  clearly  show  that  these 
lodges  and  societies  are  competitors  of  the 
Church.  The  very  fact  that  they  use  a  relig- 
ious ritual  makes  them  almost  churches  of 


56  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

themselves.  Although  one  might  be  consid- 
ered sacrilegious  to  say  so,  yet  an  impartial 
analysis  would  place  many  of  these  lodges  on 
a  par  with  many  church  denominations.  Any 
impartial  examination  would  certainly  list 
some  of  these  great  lodges  with  the  church  de- 
nominations of  the  country  in  religious  influ- 
ence. The  future  of  the  Church  depends 
upon  a  consolidation  with  these  lodges.  Fea- 
tures of  the  lodges  which  appeal  to  men  and 
women  must  be  adopted  by  the  Church.  Cer- 
tain features  of  the  Church  which  the  lodges 
now  omit  must  be  adopted  by  the  lodges.  It 
is  true  a  man  may  be  a  good  church  member 
and  a  good  Mason,  but  he  certainly  would  be 
more  efficient  if  he  put  all  his  energies  in  one 
or  the  other  and  looked  upon  all  the  world  as 
members  of  that  order. 


Philosophic  Thought 

Philosophical  cults  are  rapidly  growing  in 
influence.  India  has  taken  the  place  of  Greece 
as  a  teacher  of  dialectics.  A  search  for  ulti- 
mate philosophy  has  inevitably  led  to  some 
form  of  monism.  As  one  endeavours  to  rec- 
oncile thought  and  matter,  he  is  inevitably  led 
to  religion  in  some  form.  In  this  way  men 
such  as  Berkeley,  Fichte,  Schelling,  Hegel, 
and  Bostrom,  all  in  a  way,  are  religious  lead- 
ers.    They   have    all   consciously   or   uncon- 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    57 

sciously  founded  some  sects  of  believers. 
Kant,  Schopenhauer  and  Hartmann  might  be 
added  to  this  Hst.  The  Greeks  were  the 
founders  of  this  new  thought.  The  German 
philosophers  next  took  it  up,  but  a  further  im- 
petus has  recently  come  from  India.  The 
subtle  philosophy  of  Bhagavadgeta  and  Upani- 
shads  has  found  a  ready  response  in  America 
among  the  followers  of  Emerson  and  our 
other  philosophers. 

Orthodox  churches  look  down  upon  these 
people,  but  many  of  them  are  honestly  seeking 
the  truth,  nevertheless.  Each  church  denomi- 
nation is  founded  upon  some  one  feature  of 
human  nature.  The  Congregational  Church 
is  founded  on  a  desire  for  freedom;  the  Bap- 
tist Church  on  a  keen  theological  feeling;  the 
Methodist  Church  on  a  desire  for  organiza- 
tion, and  the  Christian  Science  Church  on  a 
hunger  for  physical  healing,  and  so  on  along 
the  line. 

There  are  a  great  many  intelligent  people  in 
the  world  who  hunger  for  a  scientific  basis  for 
their  religion.  None  of  the  established 
churches  offer  such  a  scientific  basis.  Many 
of  them  depreciate  any  attempt  to  put  religion 
on  a  scientific  basis.  Now  these  people  who 
are  philosophically  inclined  start  organizations 
of  their  own,  and  these  naturally  become  com- 
petitors of  the  established  churches.  The  fu- 
ture of  our  churches  demands  that  they  take  a 


58  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

greater  interest  in  philosophy,  science  and 
even  higher  criticism.  The  Church  of  the  fu- 
ture will  welcome  the  search-light  of  scientific 
investigation,  philosophical  discussions,  and 
thus  take  in  a  group  which  now  are  drifting 
away. 

Art  and  Music 

A  certain  group  of  people  hunger  for  art 
and  were  attracted  to  the  Church  in  the  old 
days  by  its  art.  In  Europe  the  most  beautiful 
structure  was  the  cathedral  which  towered 
over  the  entire  community.  The  finest  paint- 
ings were  in  the  cathedral  and  the  finest  music 
was  to  be  found  at  the  cathedral.  Hence,  the 
mass  of  people  that  are  so  controlled  by  the 
love  of  the  beautiful,  naturally  gravitated  to 
the  Church. 

When  our  ancestors,  however,  came  to  this 
country,  this  feature  of  the  Church  was  largely 
discarded.  In  accordance  with  the  law  of 
action  and  reaction,  the  pendulum  swung  the 
other  way.  The  old  New  England  churches 
were  built  as  barren  as  barns;  no  paintings 
were  allowed  on  the  walls ;  plain  glass  was  put 
in  the  windows,  and  the  music  provided  was  a 
disgrace  to  the  church.  It  is  true  that  the 
Roman  Catholic  churches  have  retained  a  cer- 
tain leadership  along  these  lines.  The  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  churches  of  America  are 
building  cathedrals  and  getting  back  some  of 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    59 

the  prestige  which  they  lost  in  the  early  days. 
But  many  great  leaders  of  the  Protestant 
churches  are  to-day  debating  whether  the 
modern  church  should  be  on  the  style  of  an 
office  building  or  on  the  style  of  a  cathedral. 
Efficiency  argues  for  the  former,  but  psychol- 
ogy argues  for  the  latter.  Insufficient  statis- 
tics make  it  impossible  for  one  to  give  a  worth- 
while opinion  on  this  question.  It  is  evident, 
however,  that  if  churches  are  to  have  a  bril- 
liant future,  they  must  capitalize  art  and  music 
in  some  worth-while  and  practical  way.  So 
long  as  the  theatres  and  other  auditoriums  are 
more  beautiful  structures,  are  better  decorated 
and  have  more  attractive  music,  then  the 
churches  will  be  handicapped. 

Democratic  Movements 
The  Church  has  not  kept  in  the  foreground 
with  the  march  of  democracy.  It  has  not  kept 
up  with  the  development  of  the  labour  move- 
ment, the  enfranchisement  of  women  and  the 
various  other  social  developments  of  the  age. 
Although  all  of  these  things  owe  their  expan- 
sion to  the  Church,  and  would  not  exist  to-day 
without  the  Church,  yet  the  Church  has  lagged 
behind  in  supporting  them.  The  Church  has 
given  birth  to  almost  every  worth-while  move- 
ment, but  It  has  not  been  a  very  good  mother. 
After  giving  birth  to  these  movements,  it  has 
almost   forgotten  and   discarded  them.     The 


60  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

child  has  been  somewhat  unruly,  disobedient 
and  often  radical;  the  child  has  threatened  to 
leave  home  and  the  mother  has  let  it  go.  This 
has  been  a  great  mistake. 

The  future  of  the  churches  demands  that 
real  interest  be  taken  in  these  public  move- 
ments. Moreover,  the  Church  has  a  great 
opportunity  to  perform  genuine  service  in  this 
connection.  As  the  pendulum  swings  between 
socialism  and  individualism,  the  errors  of  both 
become  more  apparent.  The  demand  that  we 
take  care  of  our  brothers  is  no  greater  or  less 
than  that  every  one  render  some  form  of  use- 
ful service  to  society.  Democracy  will  never 
be  successful  along  the  lines  of  either  individu- 
alism or  socialism.  Only  as  all  groups  be- 
come imbued  with  religion  and  a  happy  me- 
dium be  reached,  can  democracy  survive.  The 
churches  are  the  natural  dispensers  of  this  re- 
ligion and  should  be  the  savers  of  democracy. 
This — however — ^was  so  fully  treated  in  pre- 
vious chapters,  no  more  need  be  said  about  it 
here. 

Education 
The  public  school  system  was  founded  by 
the  Church.  The  entire  educational  system 
of  America  was  started  and  nursed  by  the 
churches.  Nearly  all  of  the  academies  were 
founded  by  the  churches.  Most  of  the  great 
colleges  were   organized   by   church   leaders. 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    61 

Yet  the  public  school  system  has  cast  off 
nearly  all  of  these  religious  features.  In  some 
states  reading  the  Bible  and  offering  the 
Lord's  Prayer  as  a  morning  opening  exercise 
has  been  forbidden.  In  other  states  school 
superintendents  are  not  allowed  to  ask  pro- 
spective teachers  whether  or  not  they  believe  in 
the  Divine  Being.  Our  high  schools  have  be- 
come hotbeds  of  carelessness  and  indifference. 
Our  colleges  which  were  founded  by  the 
churches  have  almost  forgotten  their  original 
purpose.  Most  of  these  educational  forces  are 
pulling  away  from  the  Church  instead  of  up- 
building the  Church  as  they  were  created  to 
do. 

Next  to  religion  and  good  health,  education 
is  the  most  important  thing;  but  it  should  be 
kept  in  its  third  place  and  not  be  allowed  to  get 
into  first  place.  It  can  never  hold  first  place ;  to 
put  education  ahead  of  spiritual  and  physical 
well-being  means  disaster.  The  future  of  the 
churches  depends  not  only  in  getting  back 
their  position  as  spiritual  leaders,  but  also  as 
educational  leaders.  Moreover,  the  future  of 
the  churches  demands  that  more  education  be 
put  into  religion  and  more  religion  be  put  into 
education.  The  two  must  be  drawn  more 
closely  together,  rather  than  be  allowed  to 
drift  further  apart. 

The  churches  must  get  behind  scientific  in- 
vestigation of  all  kinds.     The  churches  must 


62  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

uphold  the  work  of  Copernicus  and  Galileo, 
Newton  and  Laplace,  Lyell  and  Agassiz,  Far- 
aday and  Helmholtz,  Linnaeus  and  de  Can- 
doUe,  Schleiden  and  Bichat,  Lamarck  and 
Darwin.  The  names  of  these  men  should  be 
put  on  the  walls  of  the  churches  along  with 
such  names  as  Knox  and  Wesley,  Edwards 
and  Finney,  Channing  and  Parker,  Maurice 
and  Robertson,  Moody  and  Spurgeon,  Beecher 
and  Brooks. 

Religion  Fundamental 
What  does  this  all  mean?  To  a  statistician 
it  means  that  a  church  should  give  attention  to 
reforming  itself  as  well  as  to  reforming  the 
world.  The  churches  need  self-analysis,  reor- 
ganization, efficiency  experts  and  such  other 
treatment  as  an  unprofitable  corporation  re- 
ceives. Questionnaires  should  be  sent  out  to 
business  men  in  all  localities.  These  ques- 
tionnaires should  be  carefully  prepared  and 
the  answers  intelligently  compiled.  Conven- 
tions should  be  held,  not  for  the  present  cus- 
tomary purposes,  but  to  consider  the  future  of 
the  churches  in  an  honest,  businesslike  man- 
ner. The  church  leaders  need  the  spirit  of 
the  scientist  and  of  the  physician  to  fearlessly 
diagnose  the  situation  and  honestly  render  an 
impartial  report. 

The  churches  are  continually  soliciting  their 
members  for  funds  to  spread  the  gospel;  but 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    63 

what  gospel  are  they  spreading?  Many  de- 
nominations are  in  the  position  of  a  factory 
where  all  the  employees  are  listed  as  salesmen 
with  no  one  manufacturing  the  product,  and 
with  the  salesmen  themselves  exceedingly  in- 
efficient, devoting  only  one  or  two  hours  a 
week  to  their  work.  The  churches  have  a 
wonderful  product,  a  product  which  is  the 
most  needed  of  any  product  in  the  world  to- 
day. The  future  of  the  churches  is  unlimited, 
but  its  product  must  be  standardized  and 
brought  up  to  date. 

Religion  might  be  compared  to  a  wheel. 
The  man  who  invented  the  wheel  provided 
civilization  with  a  great  fundamental  thing. 
The  wheel  was  first  used  on  chariots,  then  on 
wagons,  then  on  stage  coaches,  later  on  loco- 
motives, and  finally  to-day  it  is  the  basis  of  the 
automobile.  The  same  wheel  is  on  the  auto- 
mobile as  was  on  the  chariot  centuries  ago,  but 
it  has  been  adapted  to  new  uses  as  one  genera- 
tion has  followed  another. 

The  teachings  of  Jesus  are  as  fundamental 
to-day  as  is  the  wheel;  but  the  churches  are 
still  in  the  chariot  or  the  stage-coach  era.  The 
locomotive  and  automobile  era  has  not  yet 
reached  the  churches,  or  rather  they  insist  on 
selling  the  stage  coaches  when  the  demand  is 
for  automobiles.  Let  the  Church  cling  to  the 
fundamental  principles  of  religion  as  the  me- 
chanic has  clung  to  the  fundamental  principles 


64  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

of  the  wheel.  The  churches  should,  however, 
adapt  this  fundamental  religion  to  modern 
conditions  as  the  mechanic  has  adapted  to 
modern  conditions  the  fundamental  principle 
of  the  wheel. 

Proposed  Questionnaire 
Any  questionnaire  to  be  used  by  the  Church 
for  an  analysis  should  be  prepared  by  a  large 
group  of  leaders  with  the  utmost  care,  but  as 
an  offhand  suggestion  of  what  might  appeal  to 
the  business  man,  the  following  may  be  of  in- 
terest: 

The  Church 

1.  Are  you  a  church  member?  What  de- 
nomination?    How  regularly  do  you  attend? 

2.  In  your  opinion  is  the  Church  gaining 
or  losing  power,  and  why  ? 

3.  Do  you  think  the  Church  is  losing  its 
hold  on  men?     If  so,  what  is  the  reason? 

4.  Why  do  not  all  men  who  profess  the 
Church  is  good  and  necessary  for  the  com- 
munity support  it? 

5.  Is  a  man  doing  his  duty  toward  his 
community  without  joining  or  attending  a 
church  ? 

6.  What  would  increase  the  efficiency  of 
the  Church  and  strengthen  its  hold  upon  men? 

7.  What  criticism  have  you  to  make  on  the 
pulpit,  or  the  preaching  of  to-day? 


COMPETITORS  OP  THE  CHURCH    65 

8.  What,  in  your  opinion,  would  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  pulpit  and  the  preaching 
and  give  preachers  a  more  winning  appeal  to 
men? 

9.  Do  "  suppers/'  "  fairs,"  and  other  en- 
tertainments carried  on  by  the  Church  help  or 
harm  it? 

10.  How  could  the  Church  raise  more 
money  in  order  to  have  more  to  spend  on  its 
preaching  and  other  work  ? 


Prayer-meetings,  Etc. 

1.  Do  you  know  anything  personally  about 
prayer-meetings?     Do  you  go  to  them? 

2.  How  many  men  go  to  prayer-meetings, 
usually,  in  your  church?  How  many  women? 
How  many  young  people? 

3.  Will  the  prayer-meeting  continue  or 
probably  die  out? 

4.  What  could  take  its  place? 

5.  What  do  you  think  of  church  music  as 
it  exists  to-day? 

6.  Will  this  be  developed  more  or  less  as 
time  goes  on? 

Y.  What  is  your  opinion  as  to  young  peo- 
ple's societies? 

8.  Should  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  put  more  or  less 
time  on  religious  evangelistic  work? 

9.  Do  you  believe  in  religious  revivals? 
10.     Were  you  ever  "  converted  "  ? 


66  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

Boys  and  Young  Men 

1.  What  percentage  of  the  young  men  be- 
tween the  ages  of  sixteen  and  twenty-one  in 
your  community  are  regular  attendants  at  the 
Sunday-school  ? 

2.  What  percentage  of  the  young  women? 

3.  Why  aren't  the  balance  in  the  church  or 
Sunday-school  ? 

4.  Is  there  anything  in  the  Sunday-school 
or  church  especially  calculated  to  interest  or 
appeal  to  young  men  of  that  age  which  they  do 
not  get  as  well  or  better  outside?  If  so,  what 
is  it? 

5.  Has  the  Sunday-school  or  church  with 
which  you  are  best  acquainted  planned  any 
particular  work  for  young  men  of  that  age 
that  is  really  worth  while?     If  so,  what  is  it? 

6.  Do  you  feel  that  you  owe  much  to  the 
Sunday-school  of  your  youth? 

Y.  Judging  from  past  experience,  are  they 
likely  to  stay  on  in  the  Sunday-school  and 
church  after  they  get  to  be  four  or  five  years 
older? 

8.  Do  the  men  of  the  church  care  anything 
about  keeping  the  boys  in  the  church?  Do 
they  pay  much  attention  to  the  matter? 

9.  Are  the  men  making  any  businesslike 
effort  to  interest  the  boys  and  keep  them  in  the 
church?     What  do  they  do? 

10.     What  percentage  of  the  men  of  your 
church  are  in  the  Sunday-school? 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    67 

Personal  Questions 

1.  In  this  new  age,  with  its  hurry  and  its 
cares,  what  has  become  of  the  old  question: 
"  Will  you  give  your  heart  to  Jesus  ?  " 

2.  How  do  you  think  others  would  answer 
this  question  to-day  ? 

(a)  School  children. 

(b)  College  students. 

(c)  Business  men. 

(d)  Business  women. 

(e)  Fathers. 

(f)  Mothers. 

3.  How  would  you  answer  for  yourself 
the  question, — "Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?" 
and  with  what  reasons  or  arguments  would 
you  support  your  answer? 

4.  Is  it  possible  to  apply  the  Golden  Rule, 
literally  and  fully,  in  your  home?  Explain 
reasons. 

5.  Is  the  difficulty  with  the  Golden  Rule  or 
with  your  environment? 

6.  Could  you  practice  the  Golden  Rule  if 
you  were  in  some  other  home? 

7.  Give  your  ideas  about  Faith. 

8.  Has  it  real  power  to  "move  moun- 
tains"? 

9.  Has  it  power  to  heal  disease  ? 

10.     Do  you  consider  "prayer"  and  "faith** 
the  same? 


68  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

Business  Questions 

1.  State  your  business  and  whether  or  not 
the  following  Bible  teachings  are  practical. 

(a)  "  Bless  them  which  persecute  you." 

(b)  "  Recompense    no    man    evil    for 

evil." 

(c)  "  Provide  things  honest  in  the  sight 

of  all  men." 

(d)  "  Judge  not  that  ye  be  not  judged." 

(e)  "  If  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him; 

if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink." 

(f )  "  Be  not  overcome  of  evil  but  over- 

come evil  with  good." 

2.  Could  not  modern  business  be  conducted 
in  strict  accordance  with  those  commands? 

3.  What  would  happen  to  a  merchant,  or  a 
manufacturer,  or  a  corporation  who  should 
actually  apply  those  rules  in  their  business 
operations  ? 

5.  Did  you  ever  know  of  any  one's  doing 
it?     If  so,  what  was  the  result? 

6.  What  is  the  greatest  need  of  business 
to-day  ? 

7.  What  would  happen  to  you  and  your 
business  if  you  practiced  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount? 

8.  How  would  such  a  practice  affect  your 
employees?    Your  family?   Your  neighbours? 

9.  What  could  the  Golden  Rule  do  for 
Washington,  D.  C.  ? 

10.     For  world  peace  ? 


COMPETITORS  OF  THE  CHURCH    69 

Questions  on  Prayer 

1.  When,  where  and  how  often  do  you 
pray? 

2.  Do  you  get  anything  out  of  prayer? 
What? 

3.  What  do  you  pray  about  ? 

4.  Do  you  pray  in  particular  about  your 
business  or  profession? 

5.  Do  you  pray  with  others?  Your  wife? 
Your  children?     Your  business  associates? 

6.  Does  it  seem  to  do  your  business  or 
your  profession  any  good?  Give  an  example, 
if  possible,  showing  what  effect  it  has  had 
upon  your  affairs. 

7.  Have  you  ever  tried  to  settle  a  labour 
dispute  by  praying  with  your  men?  Or  any 
other  misunderstanding  by  praying  with  the 
party  with  whom  you  are  at  odds? 

8.  If  you  don't  pray,  do  you  ever  wish  you 
did?  In  that  case  can  you  give  any  reason 
for  not  praying? 

9.  In  general,  from  your  own  experience, 
and  from  your  observations  of  others,  what 
should  you  say  prayer  is  good  for? 

10.     Can  you  give  any  personal  instances  of 
definite  answers  to  prayer  ? 


IV 

Teachings  of  Jesus 


IV 

TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS 

WHAT  are  the  fundamental  teachings 
of  Jesus?  Briefly  Jesus  taught 
that  men  and  women  fail  to  live 
truly,  and  really  amount  to  nothing  unless 
they  have  spirituality.  The  spiritual  force  un- 
derlies everything  and  v^ithout  it  nothing 
worth  while  can  be  accomplished.  The  old 
religions  gave  the  letter  of  the  law,  but  it  re- 
mained for  Jesus  to  emphasize  the  spirit  of  the 
law.  Yet,  spiritual  needs  can  be  met  only  by 
spiritual  means.  All  government  laws,  meth- 
ods and  organizations  are  of  no  value  unless 
men  and  women  are  filled  with  truth,  right- 
eousness and  mercy.  Material  things  have  no 
power  to  raise  the  sunken  spirit.  Gravitation, 
electricity  and  steam  are  great  forces,  but  they 
are  all  powerless  to  change  the  motives  of  men 
and  women.  The  wealth  of  a  Rockefeller 
cannot  heal  a  broken  heart  and  the  wisdom  of 
all  our  universities  cannot  turn  into  the  paths 
of  righteousness  a  wayward  soul.  Men  can 
be  born  again  only  through  religion.  To  make 
men  over  is  the  real  purpose  and  function  of 
the  churches. 

73 


74  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHUECHES 

Jesus  did  not  pose  as  a  statesman,  a  pro- 
fessor of  learning,  or  even  as  a  philosopher. 
He  probably  never  heard  of  astronomy, 
geology,  history,  literature,  chemistry  or 
physics;  but  He  possessed  those  essential 
qualities  for  success  in  every  line  of  work. 
He  understood  the  emotions,  He  realized  that 
the  v^orld  is  ruled  by  feelings  and  not  by 
figures.  He  was  an  independent  thinker  with 
confidence  in  His  own  judgment,  having  love 
for  the  truth  and  yet  a  gentleness  and  meek- 
ness in  seeking  and  presenting  it.  No  student 
can  read  the  words  of  Jesus  without  being  im- 
pressed with  His  integrity,  independence  and 
sincerity.  Yet  He  was  meekness  personified, 
always  seeking  the  truth,  endeavouring  to  help 
others,  without  forcing  upon  them  His  own 
wishes  and  ideas.  He  possessed  mental  free- 
dom and  loyalty  to  conviction  and  yet  was 
humble  in  His  own  influence  and  shunned 
rather  than  sought  notoriety. 

Action  and  Reaction 
The  basis  of  Jesus'  teachings  seems  to  be  the 
law  of  action  and  reaction  or  what  Emerson 
called  "The  Law  of  Compensation.'*  He 
urged  men  to  forgive  in  order  that  they  may 
be  forgiven ;  to  give  in  order  that  they  may  be 
given  unto ;  and  to  sow  in  order  that  they  may 
reap. 

Once  more  the  writer  suggests  that  the  fu- 


TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  75 

ture  of  the  churches  depends  on  emphasizing 
more  this  fundamental  law  of  action  and  re- 
action. Already  some  of  the  organizations 
outside  of  the  churches  have  adopted  it.  The 
Rotary  Clubs  have,  for  instance,  for  their 
motto  "  He  profits  most  who  serves  best/' 
The  churches  in  uniting  upon  the  leadership  of 
Jesus  must  emphasize  this  fundamental  law  of 
compensation. 

If  a  reader  puts  down  this  book  with  only 
one  idea  impressed  upon  him,  may  that  idea  be 
the  one  treated  in  the  first  two  chapters. 
Jesus  never  preached  altruism  nor  material- 
ism ;  He  never  taught  that  the  end  justifies  the 
means;  but  He  did  hold  up  reward  and  pun- 
ishment as  reasons  for  the  faith  we  should 
possess. 

Social  Problems 
From  the  beginnings  of  the  world  there  has 
been  a  conflict  between  those  who  have  and 
those  who  have  not.  It  first  was  a  conflict  be- 
tween man  and  beast,  then  a  brutal  conflict 
between  man  and  man.  Gradually  the  brutal- 
ity has  been  eliminated  and  men  have  used 
tools,  pens  and  money  instead  of  their  fists  and 
teeth,  but  the  conflict  still  rages.  Many  Uto- 
pias have  been  offered  as  a  solution  of  the  con- 
flict. Statistics  teach  that  all  of  these  Utopias 
when  tried,  with  one  exception,  have  failed. 
This  exception  is  the  teachings  of  the  Sermon 


76  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

on  the  Mount.  This  Sermon  does  not  attempt 
to  give  a  complete  program  of  social  reform 
or  business  relationship.  It  does  lay  down, 
however,  startling  and  revolutionary  princi- 
ples. Jesus  taught  that  men  should  love  their 
enemies,  do  good  to  those  who  abuse  them,  re- 
frain from  all  retaliation  and  overcome  evil 
with  good.  Nearly  all  leaders  in  industry  and 
commerce  admit  that  an  adoption  of  these 
principles  would  eliminate  a  great  portion  of 
the  troubles  of  to-day  and  altogether  abolish 
war. 

Yet,  none  of  the  church  denominations  ex- 
cepting the  Quakers  accept  these  teachings  of 
Jesus  in  their  literal  sense.  Even  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Quakers  are  gradually  falling 
away  from  the  doctrines  of  their  fathers,  al- 
though retaining  their  membership  in  Quaker 
churches.  The  future  of  the  churches  depends 
on  adopting  the  Quaker  principles  and  upon 
capitalizing  these  great  psychological  powers 
which  Jesus  offers.  As  cannibalism,  slavery 
and  other  evils  have  been  eliminated,  so  war, 
labour  troubles  and  present  difficulties  could 
largely  be  wiped  away.  Although  it  is  human 
nature  to  punish  and  abuse  our  enemies,  sta- 
tistics show  very  clearly  that  nothing  is  gained 
in  this  way.  Instead  of  winning  them  over  to 
our  ideas,  which  is  the  real  object  sought,  we 
simply  make  them  more  bitter  and  defeat  the 
very  purpose  that  we  have  in  mind.    Instead 


TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  77 

of  Jesus'  teachings  being  impractical,  they  are 
intensely  practical. 

Judge  Not 

Another  of  Jesus'  teachings  which  it  is  very 
difficult  for  the  churches  to  adopt  to-day  is  His 
command  that  we  should  not  judge  others. 
With  His  great  knowledge,  He  under- 
stood how  impossible  it  is  for  any  man  or 
woman  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  workings 
of  another's  mind.  He  also  knew  that  where 
a  man  is  governed  so  largely  by  feelings  and 
so  little  by  intellect,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
pass  disinterested,  sympathetic  and  impartial 
judgment. 

Jesus  understood  the  tremendous  power  of 
heredity  and  environment,  the  complexity  of 
human  motives  leading  up  to  acts  and  words, 
and  the  impossibility  of  men's  analyzing  and 
determining  these  influences.  Already  the 
scientist  realizes  the  difficulty  of  judging,  and 
the  wisdom  of  Jesus'  meaning.  The  future  of 
the  churches  depends  upon  carving  these 
words  "  Judge  not  "  over  their  doors  and  mak- 
ing it  a  requirement  for  membership  in  good 
standing. 

Jesus  supplied  this  principle  not  only  to 
business  and  religious  questions,  but  also  to  the 
great  social  sex  problems.  Although  Jesus 
urged  men  to  live  a  life  of  extreme  purity — 
in  thought  as  well  as  in  deed — yet  when  the 


78  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

woman  taken  in  adultery  was  brought  to  Him 
and  the  popularists  began  to  punish  her,  He 
drove  them  away,  and  turning  said  to  her: 
"  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee."  In  this,  the 
Church  may  wisely  follow  His  example. 


Service 

Jesus,  however,  did  not  present  a  passive  re- 
ligion. He  did  not  advise  sitting  in  a  house 
by  the  side  of  the  road  and  letting  the  world 
go  by.  Although  He  told  us  to  overcome  evil 
with  good  and  judge  not,  yet  He  urged  us  on 
to  service.  He  laid  down  the  principle  that 
men  should  live  together,  not  exercising  au- 
thority over  one  another,  but  as  brothers,  ren- 
dering service  one  to  another.  He  taught  that 
greatness  consisted  not  in  power  to  rule  over 
man,  but  rather  in  power  to  serve  men.  This 
is  a  message  which  to-day  is  needed  by  both  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  by  both  the  employer  and 
his  wage  worker. 

In  these  days  when  democracy  is  being 
preached,  it  is  most  essential  that  the  Church 
should  stand  with  the  masses  in  their  demand 
for  equal  opportunities,  but  the  Church  should 
emphasize  to  the  masses  that  they  are  here  to 
serve  and  that  they  should  think  more  of  their 
duties  and  less  of  their  so-called  "  rights." 
Only  religion  can  prevent  democratic  rule 
from  developing  into  mob  rule.    Autocracy  of 


TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  79 

votes  may  be  even  more  dangerous  than  an 
autocracy  of  kings  or  of  wealth.  A  nation  can 
prosper  only  as  its  citizens  are  religious,  in- 
telligent, capable  of  service  and  eager  to  ren- 
der it. 

The  future  of  the  churches  requires  that  the 
word  "  service  "  shall  be  emphasized  more  and 
more.  Theology,  forms  of  worship  and  other 
things  are  of  little  importance  compared  with 
the  spirit  of  service.  The  churches  must  make 
clear  that  only  those  who  serve  are  worthy 
members  of  the  Church  and  that  this  service 
must  be  broad  enough  to  include  one*s  busi- 
ness and  financial  transactions. 

Jesus'  statement  '*  Swear  not  at  all,"  has 
been  interpreted  by  the  Church  as  meaning 
merely  the  using  of  God's  name  in  vain.  Bible 
students,  however,  insist  that  Jesus'  meaning 
was  very  much  broader  and  that  He  opposed 
the  taking  of  oaths  in  any  form.  Yet,  even  to- 
day, the  oath  is  used  for  the  witness  in  court, 
for  the  soldier  who  joins  the  army,  for  the 
clerk  who  enters  the  employ  of  the  govern- 
ment; yea,  and  for  even  the  theologian  who 
enters  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Here  again 
the  Quakers  and  the  early  Baptists  understood 
this  broader  teaching.  Thoughtful  men  at  the 
present  time  look  upon  the  oath  as  a  thing 
very  inconsistent  for  society.  The  time  will 
come  when  our  children  will  look  back  with 
shame  and  amazement  at  the  way  we  have 


80  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

used  the  oath  in  making  people  promise  to 
obey  and  uphold  laws  and  rulings,  irrespective 
of  whether  they  are  right  or  wrong. 

Position  of  Wealth 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  which  the 
Church  has  been  obliged  to  face  is  the  prob- 
lem of  wealth.  Money  has  certainly  been  the 
bottom  of  the  churches'  evils.  The  poor 
churches  have  not  had  enough  of  it  and  the 
well-to-do  churches  have  had  too  much  of  it. 
Money  has  been  the  trial  of  almost  every  min- 
ister, both  in  connection  with  his  personal  af- 
fairs and  in  connection  with  his  parishioners. 
His  troubles  have  not  been  with  those  in  me- 
dium circumstances,  but  with  the  poor  who 
are  in  distress  and  with  the  rich  who  attempt 
to  dictate  his  policy. 

Jesus  did  not  give  specific  instructions  as  to 
the  relation  of  capital  and  labour,  the  freedom 
or  restraint  of  trade,  principles  or  methods  of 
taxation,  or  other  modern  financial  problems. 
He  realized  that  each  age  must  grapple  with 
its  own  difficulties.  Jesus,  however,  did 
clearly  understand  the  effect  of  wealth  and  of 
poverty  on  the  character  of  men  and  women. 
He  further  understood  the  benefit  to  character 
of  the  practice  of  sharing  with  others.  Fur- 
thermore, He  was  the  first  to  realize  the  effect 
of  worry  upon  one's  personal  health  and  effi- 
ciency.     Hence,    without    any    definite    com- 


TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  81 

ments,  He  presented  to  the  people  the  foolish- 
ness and  dangers  of  laying  up  for  oneself 
treasures  on  earth.  He  even  appealed  to 
man's  immediate  interests  in  urging  the  fruit- 
lessness  of  pursuing  wealth,  power  and  fame. 

Jesus  did  not  urge  the  life  of  a  monk,  nor 
did  He  want  us  to  dress  in  sackcloth  and  live 
on  the  herbs.  God  made  the  beautiful  sunset, 
the  birds  to  sing,  the  colour  of  the  flowers  and 
the  fragrance  of  the  woods.  The  greatest 
artists  in  all  their  power  have  sought  only  to 
approach  the  beauties  and  the  wealth  of  Na- 
ture. Jesus  said  nothing  against  wealth  as 
such,  but  He  objected  very  strongly  to  the  ex- 
isting contrasts  between  the  rich  and  the  poor. 
He  was  interested  in  raising  the  level  of  the 
entire  mass.  He  had  rather  have  all  million- 
aires than  only  a  few  millionaires.  The  fu- 
ture of  the  churches  depends  upon  each  taking 
a  similar  and  sane  view  on  this  question  of 
wealth,  urging  the  poor  to  wake  up  and  the 
rich  to  give  up.  Except  as  the  entire  commu- 
nity enjoys  wealth,  the  Church  must  emphasize 
that  it  is  a  source  of  great  danger. 

The  Church  must  make  clear  two  things: 
first,  that  in  proportion  as  one  seeks  wealth  he 
becomes  forgetful  of  justice,  mercy  and  re- 
gard for  the  rights,  liberties  and  welfare  of 
others;  and  secondly,  that  mere  wealth  does 
not  give  that  peace  of  mind  which  is  the  great- 
est joy  in  life.    This  peace  of  mind  can  be  se- 


82  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

cured  only  by  one  seeking  truth,  goodness, 
simplicity,  uprightness  and  service. 

Jesus  deprecated  on  every  occasion  man's 
constant  anxiety  for  the  morrow.  He  saw 
men  dwarfed  and  marred  by  needless  daily 
cares.  Hence,  He  pointed  to  the  birds  in  the 
wood  and  the  flowers  in  the  field,  saying  if 
God  will  take  care  of  these  helpless  things, 
what  right  have  himian  beings  to  worry? 
Yet,  economics  teach  that  our  livelihood  de- 
pends far  less  on  our  own  exertions  than  upon 
the  good-will  of  our  fellows  and  the  bounty  of 
Nature.  We  fail  to  see  that  just  in  propor- 
tion as  we  seek  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  our 
own  needs  as  individuals  are  met.  The  Church 
must  emphasize  these  great  fundamental 
economic  principles  and  bring  about  that 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  for  which  we  all,  rich 
and  poor,  unconsciously  hunger. 

Forms  of  Worship 

The  writer  perhaps  should  not  criticize  the 
Church  for  its  various  forms  and  practices. 
These  are  questions  which  should  be  deter- 
mined more  by  the  Bible  students  than  by  the 
statistician.  He  cannot  help  feeling,  however, 
that  Jesus  would  be  very  much  surprised  to  go 
into  the  average  church  and  see  the  forms  and 
ceremonies  being  carried  on  in  His  name. 
Were  He  to  analyze  some  of  the  songs  that 


TEACHINGS  OF  JESUS  83 

we  sing  in  our  churches,  He  certainly  would 
be  astonished  at  our  hypocrisy  or  ignorance. 

Jesus  seemed  to  have  little  interest  in  popu- 
lar religious  customs.  He  strongly  con- 
demned public  prayers,  public  almsgiving,  and 
fasts.  He  cared  nothing  for  formal  sacrifices, 
the  conventional  observance  of  the  Sabbath 
and  various  other  church  forms.  He  never  or- 
dained the  use  of  either  oaths  or  force  in  the 
interests  of  religion.  He  even  freely  criti- 
cized the  Scriptures,  rejecting  what  seemed  to 
Him  bad.  Jesus  declined  to  be  known  as  a 
Messiah,  or  the  King  of  Israel,  and  many  be- 
lieve that  He  would  most  seriously  object  to 
being  called  by  us  the  Christ.  He  resisted  all 
opportunities  to  rule  over  the  Jews.  His  am- 
bition was  not  to  rule  but  to  serve. 

Jesus  was  not  interested  in  theology.  His 
one  interest  seemed  to  be  to  bring  on  earth  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  the  perfecting  of  human 
society  and  the  establishing  of  human  brother- 
hood. He  next  was  interested  in  eternal  life, 
a  life  which  should  begin  in  this  world  and 
continue  its  influence  or  existence  forever. 
Jesus  clearly  believed  in  eternal  life,  but  what 
form  He  never  explained.  Certainly,  He 
cannot  be  blamed  for  the  Nicene  or  other  dis- 
puted creeds. 

Jesus  certainly  would  be  interested  in  mis- 
sions because  to  Him  all  men  are  brothers, 
whether  Americans   or   English,    French   or 


84  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

Germans,  Japanese  or  Hindoo.  He  was  in- 
terested in  preaching  the  gospel  throughout  all 
the  earth  and  made  this  one  of  the  chief  duties 
of  His  disciples.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  hard 
to  imagine  Jesus  endeavouring  to  win  the  af- 
fections of  these  older  people  away  from 
prophets  and  religious  leaders  that  they  have 
been  taught  to  love.  Hence,  would  Jesus  at- 
tempt to  wipe  out  Brahmanism,  Buddhism  and 
Mohammedanism  or  would  He  rather  leave 
these  religions  in  their  names  but  reform  them 
along  better  lines? 

These,  however,  are  questions  not  for  a  lay- 
man to  discuss.  The  writer  mentions  them 
only  with  the  idea  of  suggesting  reasons  why 
the  Church  is  gradually  losing  its  relative 
power  and  how  the  Church  may  quickly  regain 
that  power  and  become  the  all-powerful  in- 
fluence for  progress.  Certainly  Jesus  has 
shown  us  the  way.  We  need  only  to  pull  away 
the  fences  and  rubbish,  the  decorations  and 
the  forms,  under  which  His  teachings  have 
been  buried. 


V 

A  Possibility 


A  POSSIBILITY 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  incon- 
sistent attitude  which  the  churches 
now  take  toward  these  teachings, 
one  should  be  very  optimistic  as  to  their  future. 
Although  the  churches  are  now  ridiculed  by 
many  thinking  people  and  have  lost  the  confi- 
dence of  the  great  mass  of  working  people, 
nevertheless,  their  future  is  bright.  At  vari- 
ous other  stages  in  the  world's  history,  they 
have  reached  the  low  ebb  which  exists  to-day. 
In  fact,  as  stated,  the  history  of  the  churches 
has  been  a  series  of  ups-and-downs,  which,  if 
plotted,  would  correspond  very  closely  to  the 
great  swings  in  financial,  commercial,  and  so- 
cial development. 

Its  fluctuations  are  not  short,  like  those  of 
the  Babsonchart,  each  extending  over  only 
a  few  years.  The  great  swings  in  church 
activity  and  recession  are  over  much  longer 
periods  and  are  closely  allied  to  the  great  for- 
ward movements  in  civilization,  as  explained 
in  a  previous  chapter.     More  than  this,  these 

87 


88  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

long  swings  have  followed  economic  rather 
than  theological  lines.  When  the  churches 
have  interested  themselves  in  practical  ques- 
tions as  suggested  in  the  proposed  Question- 
naire, they  have  prospered ;  but  when  they  have 
not  been  so  interested,  they  have  declined. 
Hence  the  economic  interpretations  of  history, 
combined  with  the  careful  study  of  church 
progress,  convinces  one  that  the  next  church 
movement  will  be  along  distinctly  economic 
lines,  especially  relating  to  the  application  of 
religion  to  every-day  life. 

Of  course  there  are  many  who  claim  that 
Christianity  demands  the  institution  of  state 
socialism,  and  some  feel  that  it  can  be  prac- 
ticed only  through  communism  or  collectiv- 
ism; but  it  does  not  now  call  for  anything  of 
the  kind.  Although  Christianity  demands 
that  our  every  deed,  word,  and  thought  should 
be  in  the  interests  of  the  community  as  a 
whole  and  not  for  our  exclusive  benefit,  yet  a 
study  of  Jesus'  teachings  shows  most  clearly 
that  He  stood  for  individual  responsibility  and 
apparently  had  little  hope  of  solving  the 
world's  problems  through  legislation  or  the  en- 
forcement of  law. 

His  idea  apparently  was  that  when  men 
should  develop  the  right  spirit  with  the  pas- 
sionate desire  to  serve  the  community,  proper 
legislation  would  unconsciously  be  enacted  and 
readily  be  enforced;  but  until  such  time,  no 


A  POSSIBILITY  89 

amount  of  legislation  would  bring  about  the 
desired  result.  The  history  of  the  Jewish  na- 
tion during  the  centuries  of  its  existence  was 
absolute  proof  that  unless  men  have  the  spirit 
of  service,  the  most  elaborate  legislative  pro- 
gram is  of  no  avail. 

Churches  and  Capitalism 
Of  all  questions  facing  the  Church,  the  ques- 
tion of  *'  Capitalism  "  may  some  day  rent  the 
Church  in  twain.  If  it  is  wise  to  encourage 
people  to  accumulate  money  in  amounts  large 
enough  to  become  capitalists,  then  the  interest 
system  is  right.  Surely,  one  is  as  entitled  to  a 
wage  for  saving  as  for  any  other  worthy  en- 
deavour. But  there  is  a  grave  question 
whether  the  Christian  religion  favours  the 
manipulation  of  money.  Many  feel  that  it  was 
not  the  payment  and  receipt  of  interest  which 
the  Scripture  seems  to  forbid,  but  rather  the 
unequal  accumulations  of  wealth.  The  refer- 
ences to  "  usury  **  were  simply  incidental  to 
the  bigger  question  of  riches,  and  their  dan- 
gers. 

It  had  always  been  understood  in  early 
Christian  times  that  "  usury,"  the  common 
term,  was  prohibited  by  Scripture.  But  as  the 
Church  was  called  upon  to  pronounce  formal 
decision,  it  proceeded  to  modify  the  Scrip- 
tural prohibition  to  meet  the  growing  require- 
ments of  the  world.     It  was  decided  that  a 


90  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

lender  might  share  in  the  profits  of  any  enter- 
prise in  which  his  money  was  used,  but  he 
could  not  bargain  himself  out  of  risks  nor  out 
of  responsibility. 

This  opened  the  way  for  many  devices  to 
secure  compensation  for  loans.  Shylock's 
case  was  evidently  of  this  class;  his  suit  was 
for  a  pound  of  flesh  under  his  contract.  The 
new  life  in  Europe  that  came  on  with  the 
Protestant  Reformation  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury had  immediate  effect  in  the  business 
world.  Geneva  then  was  a  chief  commercial 
city.  With  the  advent  of  John  Calvin,  and 
the  revolution  which  established  the  Independ- 
ence of  the  city  and  a  new  form  of  popular 
government,  a  new  adjustment  of  business  be- 
came inevitable.  The  syndics  put  up  to  Calvin 
the  crucial  question.  It  was  a  matter  of  con- 
science with  many,  and  more  or  less  of  neces- 
sity with  all.  They  wanted  an  authoritative 
ruling  as  to  usury. 

Calvin's  Decision 
This  led  to  a  new  study  of  the  Bible,  which 
the  great  reformer  proceeded  to  make.  He 
soon  discovered  that,  while  usury  was  clearly 
forbidden  In  some  passages  of  the  Scripture, 
there  were  others  In  which.  In  different  cir- 
cumstances, it  was  allowed.  He  thereupon 
ruled  that  It  was  not  a  transaction  unlawful  in 
itself.     There  are  circumstances  in  which  in- 


A  POSSIBILITY  91 

terest  on  money  loaned  can  properly  be  de- 
manded and  paid.  But  he  prescribed  that  it 
must  be  loaned  only  at  a  reasonable  rate  and 
when  the  loan  was  for  the  promoting  of  the 
general  good.  Certainly  this  last  was  a  wise 
banking  principle. 

This  at  once  became  the  accepted  practice  in 
Geneva.  Calvin's  disciples  carried  it  home 
with  them ;  John  Knox  took  it  to  Scotland  and 
there  applied  it  throughout  the  State,  so  that 
Scotland  was  the  earliest  country  to  adopt  in 
business  the  free  use  of  capital  wherever  it 
could  be  obtained.  In  the  century  from  Eliza- 
beth to  Cromwell,  with  which  the  new  life  of 
England  began,  the  ruling  of  Calvin  had  great 
effect.  The  burden  upon  the  conscience  of 
honest  merchants  under  the  old  ecclesiastical 
law  was  swept  away.  Opportunity  was  given 
for  investing  in  those  commercial  enterprises 
which  were  possible  only  when  capital  could 
be  employed. 

There  were  large  areas  of  tillable  land  in 
England  which  had  never  been  brought  under 
cultivation,  and  there  was  a  mass  of  unem- 
ployed labour  flowing  about  the  country  as  the 
result  of  the  relaxing  of  the  old  laws  that 
bound  the  labourer  to  the  soil.  Money  could 
now  be  profitably  borrowed  for  the  opening 
of  the  land  and  the  employment  of  labour. 
Capital  was  gathered  for  this  and  for  other 
enterprises;  and  the  new  era  of  business  ac** 


92  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHUECHES 

tivity  in  all  directions  which  quickly  enriched 
England,  and  has  been  since  characteristic  of 
that  country,  was  inaugurated. 

The  ruling  of  Calvin  was  a  commercial  and 
monetary  emancipation,  but  in  amending  the 
early  decrees  of  the  Church,  it  stopped  short 
of  continuing  and  enforcing  the  old  law  of 
responsibility  of  the  lender  for  the  use  to 
which  his  money  should  be  put.  That  has  not 
been  done  to  this  day,  and  there  remains  need 
of  modern  church  ruling  in  that  direction. 

It  is  curious  to  note  that  it  was  the  decision 
of  the  Church  on  the  lips  of  a  spiritual  leader, 
as  a  result  of  Biblical  study,  which  loosened 
the  fastenings  of  a  door  which  stood  in  the 
way  of  a  great  commercial  movement.  It  was 
like  the  starting  of  the  lock  in  the  Panama 
Canal,  which  might  be  conceived  as  opening 
the  way  for  the  rushing  of  the  tides  of  an 
ocean  in  a  direction  hitherto  closed.  It  is 
often  supposed  that  barriers  cannot  long  be 
maintained  against  the  tide  of  man's  devices, 
particularly  those  which  are  directed  to  secure 
him  truly  greater  ultimate  gain.  Through  six- 
teen hundred  years  the  restriction  which  had 
maintained  among  the  Jews  served  against  the 
free  development  of  the  opportunities  which 
came  to  the  wider  world.  Then  suddenly  the 
restrictions  were  loosened  and  rapidly  the 
whole  flow  of  modern  commercial  and  indus- 
trial life  began. 


A  POSSIBILITY  93 

An  Uncompleted  Responsibility 
As  is  usual  with  such  tremendous  move- 
ments, so  charged  as  they  are  with  vitaHty,  in- 
evitable evils  were  still  unrecognized.  The 
work  of  the  following  era,  from  the  seven- 
teenth century  to  to-day,  and  which  is  yet  far 
from  complete,  has  been  to  guide  and  control 
that  movement.  The  law  books  are  full  of 
legislation,  made  and  unmade  from  time  to 
time  as  necessity  became  manifestly  great. 
To  protect  individual  rights,  laws  against 
combination  were  passed  and  sharply,  en- 
forced. With  their  relaxing,  a  new  era  arose, 
only  again  to  discover  the  need  of  the  anti- 
capitalistic  legislation  with  which  we  are  now 
struggling,  under  a  necessity  which  has  be- 
come apparent,  but  with  difficulties  with  which 
we  have  by  no  means  learned  wisely  to  deal. 
Money  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  an  im- 
plement indispensable  in  any  enterprise,  and 
for  which  proper  compensation  may  be  justly 
demanded.  But  the  use  to  which  borrowed 
money  may  be  put  is  regarded  as  a  matter 
wholly  outside  the  province  of  the  lender,  ex- 
cept so  far  as  he  is  concerned  with  his  security. 
In  this  respect,  at  least,  the  practice  of  the 
Middle  Ages  was,  from  an  ethical  standpoint, 
ahead  of  that  of  to-day.  That  the  question  is 
far  from  being  settled,  appears  from  time  to 
time  in  regard  to  money  given  for  philan- 
thropic   or    religious    enterprises,    where    the 


94  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHUBCHES 

public  challenge  the  propriety  of  accepting 
money  which  may  have  been  made  by  ques- 
tionable methods.  Certainly  the  churches 
should  not  uphold  the  feeling  of  the  classical 
Greeks,  that  "gold  has  no  smell,"  and  there- 
fore it  is  not  necessary  to  investigate  its 
origin. 

One  form  of  responsibility  was  maintained 
for  a  long  time,  namely,  the  financial  liability 
of  stockholders  as  of  partners  in  commercial 
enterprises.  This  was  until  recently  the  gen- 
eral practice.  It  served  to  give  credit  when 
credit  was  the  chief  need,  but  it  involved  ter- 
rible loss  and  widespread  disaster,  as  in  the 
historic  case  of  the  Glasgow  Bank.  The 
modern  device  of  limited  liability  in  corpora- 
tions has  largely  done  away  with  this  feature. 
The  old  question  may,  therefore,  be  regarded 
as  still  open,  as  to  what  extent  the  personal 
responsibility  of  the  lender  goes  with  his  loan 
or  investment.  Certainly  this  is  a  question 
for  the  churches,  though  it  is  an  entirely  open 
question  generally  in  law.  The  new  sense  of 
larger  responsibility,  the  beginnings  of  which 
•already  are  so  widely  felt,  and  which  were 
coming  into  serious  consideration  in  thought- 
ful minds  in  connection  with  the  opening  of 
the  Orient,  will  inevitably  be  found  more 
pressing  when  the  business  world  faces  the 
coming  new  opportunities  and  the  new  re- 
sponsibilities.   There  will  be  inevitably  a  new 


A  POSSIBILITY  95 

realization  of  human  brotherhood,  as  the  na- 
tions will  come  together  in  ways  that  the  world 
has  hitherto  never  experienced. 

Under  such  circumstances,  credit,  upon 
which  all  business  must  eventually  rest,  will 
turn  in  far  larger  measure  than  in  the  past 
upon  personal  confidence  and  character.  It 
may  be,  therefore,  that  the  acceptance  of  re- 
sponsibility of  this  kind  will  come  about  as 
the  voluntary  act  of  the  churches  rather  than 
by  any  enforcement  of  law,  which  will  be  a 
far  healthier  method.  In  any  case,  the 
churches  can  be  a  foundation  stone  in  the 
structure  of  the  new  commercial  world.  They 
can  have  weight,  and  be  recognized,  like  the 
decision  in  Geneva  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
only  as  their  teachings  are  founded  on  the 
precepts  of  Jesus. 

One  Suggestion 

There  must  be  a  happy  medium  between  the 
position  of  the  socialists  and  the  distinctly  re- 
actionary attitude  which  the  churches  assume 
to-day.  As  a  matter  of  interest  this  "  happy 
medium  "  will  be  hinted  at. 

Instead  of  the  followers  of  churches  hold- 
ing property  in  common,  turning  over  their 
actual  profits  for  the  benefit  of  the  community 
as  did  those  of  the  early  Church,  there  may  be 
a  mutual  turning  in  of  information,  facts,  and 
other  personal  records  of  earnings  and  expend- 


96  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

itures.  There  may  be  no  secrets  among  such 
persons,  but  each  may  know  the  receipts,  ex- 
penses, and  the  actual  property  holdings  of  all 
others. 

Personally,  the  writer  believes  that  with  re- 
ligion, education,  and  just  inheritance  laws, 
publicity  is  the  only  remaining  motive  power 
which  can  be  used  to  solve  our  nation's  prob- 
lems. To  clean  the  banking  system,  the  pub- 
licity of  bank  loans  may  be  a  necessity;  to 
eliminate  the  trust  evil,  the  publicity  of  profits, 
contracts,  and  all  other  details  of  large  cor- 
porations may  be  inevitable ;  to  solve  the  wage 
problem,  the  posting  of  wages  and  earnings 
may  come;  while  taxation  will  probably  be 
justly  assessed  only  when  the  personal  busi- 
ness of  every  citizen  is  public  property. 

Publicity  is  the  very  important  cure  for  the 
hundreds  of  evils  which  beset  this  and  other  na- 
tions, although  such  publicity  must  be  coupled 
with  the  development  of  religion  and  educa- 
tion. Hence,  to  the  hundreds  of  societies  and 
organizations  existing  for  various  kinds  of 
welfare  and  other  work,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
best  opportunity  for  the  furthering  of  any  of 
these  causes  comes  through  publicity  legisla- 
tion. Moreover,  in  this  the  churches  may 
some  day  lead. 

If  the  day  is  coming  when  religion  demands 
that  we  all  turn  in  a  list  of  all  our  property, 
the  sources  of  our  income  together  with  our 


A  POSSIBILITY  97 

expenditures,  such  a  movement  should  ce- 
ment society  together  with  the  loyalty  and 
brotherly  interest  impossible  in  any  other  way. 
One  effect  of  such  a  plan  should  be  the  elim- 
ination of  unfair  competition  among  church 
people. 

Competition  is  not  only  natural  but  useful 
in  the  development  of  civilization,  but  unfair 
competition  is  both  wasteful  and  wrong,  eco- 
nomically and  morally.  The  only  assurance 
that  one  person  will  give  another  a  square  deal 
will  probably  come  through  the  insistence  that 
the  profits,  losses  and  other  so-called  personal 
business  of  each  are  the  common  knowledge 
of  all.  Many  of  the  present  misunderstand- 
ings between  men  would  then  soon  be  elimi- 
nated. At  any  rate,  publicity  Is  the  first  step  in 
the  elimination  of  such  misunderstandings. 


Winning  the  Workers 

The  payment  of  proper  wages  to  employees 
will  be  worked  out  along  some  such  line  as 
this,  rather  than  through  so-called  minimum 
wage  legislation,  which  later  is  bound  to  react 
either  in  throwing  many  out  of  employment 
or  in  raising  prices.  When  the  wages  paid 
and  received  by  the  churchmen  of  any  com- 
munity are  recorded  and  posted  for  the  benefit 
of  the  entire  membership  (which  membership 
would  include  both  employers  and  employees) 


98  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

together  with  a  statement  as  to  the  employer's 
profits,  the  very  troublesome  labour  question 
might  rapidly  solve  itself  in  such  a  commu- 
nity. When  the  churchmen  who  operate  stores 
mark  their  goods  with  the  cost  prices  as  well 
as  the  selling  prices,  people  will  begin  to  take 
notice. 

No  workman  ever  begrudged  a  real  pro- 
ducer the  profits  of  his  labour  even  though 
those  profits  should  run  into  the  millions;  but 
the  man  who  is  becoming  wealthy  through  the 
exploitation  of  others  naturally  is  subject  to 
suspicion.  Therefore,  perhaps  the  only  way 
that  employers  in  general  and  labour  in  gen- 
eral can  come  together  is  for  each  to  put  its 
cards  on  the  table  and  let  them  be  seen  by  the 
other.  As  labour  is  now  compelled  to  do  it, 
the  next  step  is  for  the  employer  to  do  like- 
wise. Perhaps  the  churches  will  lead  in  such 
a  movement. 

Solving  Church  Finances 
Such  a  system  of  mutual  interchange  of  in- 
formation among  fellow  church  members 
would,  of  course,  at  once  solve  the  problems 
of  financing  the  churches  and  their  allied  or- 
ganizations. When  each  Christian  turns  in  a 
list  of  his  property  holdings  and  Income,  it 
will  be  necessary  only  for  the  church  to  de- 
cide on  the  budget  which  it  needs  and  make 
an  assessment  as  do  the  tax  authorities  in  the 


A  POSSIBILITY  99 

most  progressive  states.  In  this  case,  each 
member  would  pay  the  same  proportion  of  his 
income,  and  any  reasonable  amount  could  be 
raised  quickly  and  in  a  dignified  manner. 

This  would  mean  that  preachers  could  be 
paid  a  living  wage,  thus  attracting  stronger 
men  into  the  ministry;  that  the  Sunday-school 
could  be  made  efficient  through  the  employ- 
ment of  experienced  teachers,  and  that  the 
churches  could  become  a  real  factor  in  the 
social  development  of  the  community  through 
the  employment  of  experts  along  desired  lines. 


Pooling  Charities 

Some  feel  that  if  this  step  is  ever  taken  it 
would  result  in  church  people  pooling  their  wel- 
fare work  and  using  the  church  as  a  clearing 
house  for  all  worth-while  objects.  Of  course, 
this  would  immediately  put  the  churches 
in  a  most  important  economic  position,  enab- 
ling them  to  command  the  respect  of  all  or- 
ganizations. Perhaps  this  is  the  solution  of 
such  problems  as  relate  to  city  planning, 
model  tenements,  industrial  education,  public 
hygiene,  vocational  guidance,  supervised  play- 
grounds, and  many  of  the  other  splendid 
works  which  are  now  only  feebly  developed. 
Certainly,  if  after  pooling  our  gifts,  we  should 
likewise  pool  our  votes,  the  churches  surely 
would  immediately  regain  their  place  in  the 


100  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

community.  When  one  realizes  that  organ- 
ized labour  has  obtained  its  tremendous  power 
in  legislation  through  a  combination  of  less 
than  five  per  cent,  of  the  people,  the  tremen- 
dous force  which  the  churches  may  some  day 
exercise  in  the  democracy,  through  the  pool- 
ing of  interests,  readily  becomes  apparent. 

There  are,  of  course,  hundreds  of  good 
things  which  the  churches  should  do  which 
they  are  not  doing.  Almost  every  thinking 
man  has  a  different  or  a  new  suggestion. 
With  nearly  all  of  these  the  writer  agrees  in 
the  broad  sense.  The  question  arises,  how- 
ever, whether  most  suggestions  are  not  results 
and  effects  rather  than  fundamentals.  With 
the  right  motive  coupled  with  knowledge, 
every  question  rapidly  solves  itself.  There- 
fore, does  not  the  future  of  the  churches  de- 
pend on  the  development  of  the  right  motive 
— that  is,  the  spirit  of  service  based  upon  a 
real  knowledge  of  actual  conditions,  which 
can  come  only  through  the  adoption  of  mutual 
publicity  as  above  outlined? 

For  this  reason  should  not  some  day  the 
church  people  of  every  community  act  to- 
gether and  frankly  acknowledge  one  another 
as  brothers,  each  giving  the  others  a  complete 
knowledge  of  his  property  holdings.  Income, 
expenses,  wages,  and  savings;  and  saying  to 
the  others,  "  Now  what  shall  I  do  ? ''  Only 
as  each  of  us  so  gets  this  spirit  and  frankly 


A  POSSIBILITY  101 

shows  his  position  and  honestly  asks,  "  What 
shall  I  do  ?  "  shall  we  ever  do  anything  really 
worth-while. 

Possible  Reforms 

Briefly,  the  churches  will  not  regain  their 
power  in  the  community  until  their  followers 
cease  being  so  indifferent  and  inconsistent. 
To  those  of  us  who  are  members  and  actively 
interested  in  some  church  does  not  this  mean: 

First, — we  should  recognize  that  churches 
are  no  more  divine  institutions  than  are  col- 
leges, hospitals,  farms,  or  even  many  facto- 
ries. Either  all  worth-while  organizations  are 
divine,  or  else  none  are.  All  must  stand  upon 
their  own  merits.  Much  harm  has  been  done 
by  the  furtherance  of  the  false  idea  that 
churches  are  not  subject  to  the  same  economic 
laws  as  are  other  institutions.  Hence  the  first 
step  is  for  us  frankly  and  fearlessly  to  recog- 
nize that  churches  are  subject  to  economic 
laws. 

Second, — ^we  should  make  sure  that  the 
churches  give  the  people  a  real  equivalent  for 
the  time  and  money  which  the  churches  de- 
mand. The  idea  that  men  and  women  should 
go  to  church  to  support  the  churches  is  as  un- 
sound as  to  expect  people  to  get  sick  to  sup- 
port the  hospitals.  A  study  of  the  situation 
has  convinced  me  that  many  communities  ex- 
ist where  conditions  would  be  better  off  if  the 


102  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

citizens  refrained  from  supporting  certain  of 
the  churches  until  these  churches  forget  cer- 
tain theological  differences  and  unite  in  one 
strong  community  church  with  a  well-edu- 
cated and  well-paid  minister  commanding  the 
respect  of  the  people.  Much  harm  is  being 
done  by  well-meaning  people  in  their  attempts 
to  keep  alive  certain  churches  which  are  not 
producing  enough  fruit  to  warrant  their  exist- 
ence. The  community  would  be  far  better 
were  this  money  given  to  other  churches 
which  are  rendering  good  service. 

Third, — we  should  be  very  careful  how  we 
preach  altruism.  The  theory  underlying  the 
Golden  Rule  is  sound,  but  the  idea  that  men 
should  do  right  "  for  right's  sake "  is  un- 
sound. The  doctrine  of  overcoming  evil  with 
good  has  a  scientific  basis,  and  should  be 
taught;  but  the  churches  should  frankly  state 
that  the  only  reason  for  using  this  method  of 
treatment  is  because  it  is  more  effective.  In- 
stead of  teaching  an  unnatural  altruism, 
churches  should  fearlessly  recognize  that 
every  man  is  justified  in  seeking  happiness  and 
avoiding  pain.  The  most  that  can  be  done  for 
people  Is  to  show  them  how  their  well-being 
is  dependent  upon  that  of  their  neighbours. 

The  time  is  coming  when  we  will  not  con- 
sider chiefly  the  interest  which  our  invest- 
ments yield  for  a  given  security,  but  whether 
the  money  is  to  be  used  to  sewer  a  city  or  to 


A  POSSIBILITY  103 

build  a  fashionable  apartment  house  in  New 
York. 

Fourth, — We  should  get  away  from  the 
idea  that  the  Church  is  an  organization  or 
club  existent  for  its  "  members."  This  "  ex- 
clusive "  feature  and  the  Church's  dependence 
upon  wealth  has  been  its  greatest  handicap. 
Jesus  never  intended  to  organise  anything. 
His  idea  was  simply  to  drop  a  few  "  mustard 
seeds  "  or  "  leaven  the  loaf.''  Christianity  is 
essentially  unorganized.  When  we  organize 
it  we  destroy  its  chief  charm.  Organization, 
authority,  force  and  money  should  be  shunned 
by  the  Church.  Furthermore,  the  Church 
should  emphasize  faith  rather  than  belief,  and 
appeal  to  the  heart  rather  than  the  head. 

Frank  Crane  has  well  stated  this  in  his 
"  Immoralities  of  the  Church  ": 

"  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  the  right 
attitude  of  church  people  should  be  expressed 
thus:  I  am  happy.  I  have  a  peace  that  pass- 
eth  understanding.  I  have  found  the  open 
secret,  so  that  worry  does  not  beset  me,  cir- 
cumstances cannot  defeat  me,  tragedy  be- 
comes triumph,  and  death  spells  hope  and  not 
despair.  Do  you  suppose,  if  any  band  of 
people  talked  like  that,  and  so  lived  that  you 
could  see  they  were  telling  the  simple  truth, 
that  all  the  world  would  not  want  to  be  like 
them?  They  would  have  to  hire  police  to 
keep  the  crowds  back." 


104  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

The  Family  Spirit  Holds  the  Solution 
As  employers  of  labour  and  as  employees, 
we  have  a  great  opportunity.  The  great  in- 
dustrial struggle  of  to-day  will  never  be 
settled  through  strikes,  arbitration,  or  any 
other  artificial  means.  The  solution  rests 
with  those  of  us  who  profess  to  have  a  re- 
ligion and  practice  it,  whether  representing 
capital  or  labour.  If  we  are  employers,  we 
will  consider  our  employees  as  a  family  and 
fight  for  them  and  work  for  their  success  as 
we  would  for  the  success  of  our  immediate 
family.  Our  greatest  pride  will  be  to  pay 
them  continually  more  and  more, — certainly 
more  than  men  who  make  no  religious  preten- 
sion pay  for  similar  services.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  we  are  employees,  we  will  strive  to 
render  better  service  and  let  the  fruits  of  our 
religion  boldly  appear  in  our  work. 

This  is  the  way  the  influence  of  the 
churches  will  be  extended;  in  fact,  it  is  the 
only  way  it  ever  has  been  spread  in  the  past. 
It  is  the  great  practical  step  along  educational 
and  economic  lines  in  which  religious  people 
have  so  often  led,  that  has  given  the  Church 
its  influence  in  the  past.  When  our  forefa- 
thers have  sacrificed  their  properties  and  even 
their  lives  to  bring  about  better  conditions,  the 
Church  has  prospered;  but  when  their  chil- 
dren have  become  lax  and  less  active,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Church  has  waned. 


A  POSSIBILITY  105 

The  indifference  of  the  average  Protestant 
Church  toward  national,  state,  and  municipal 
affairs  will  not  continue  much  longer.  We 
shall  some  day  close  up  our  little  pet  charities 
and  devote  such  time  and  money  toward  pub- 
lic improvements  and  bettering  political  con- 
ditions. We  complain  about  graft  and  the 
waste  of  public  funds,  but  is  this  not  largely 
due  to  our  indifference?  When  we  devote  to 
bettering  political  conditions  such'  time  and 
money  as  we  now  give  to  societies,  charities, 
and  other  outside  organizations,  there  will 
soon  be  a  great  improvement  in  government. 

We  should  select  our  profession,  business, 
or  daily  work  with  the  object  of  rendering 
service.  We  should  engage  in  the  occupation 
wherein  we  can  render  the  most  service  to  the 
community.  If  we  are  rendering  a  real  serv- 
ice, we  shall  be  properly  rewarded. 

Importance  of  Education 
There  is  no  short  cut  to  prosperity.  It  will 
come  only  through  the  slow  process  of  educa- 
tion. Moreover,  this  will  be  supplied  to  the 
coming  voters  of  our  nation  through  the  pub- 
lic school  system.  Hence,  I  believe  that  the 
best  missionary  work  which  we  to-day  can 
possibly  do  is  through  our  public  schools. 
Here  is  the  greatest  opportunity  for  real  good 
and  to  which  we  should  devote  all  our  spare 
efforts  instead  of  bothering  with  a  score  of 


106  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

other  things,  all  of  which  are  worthy  in  their 
way;  but  none  of  which  will  accomplish  much 
until  the  people  are  convinced  of  the  need  of 
a  change  and,  when  so  convinced,  will  them- 
selves bring  the  change  about. 

With  present  methods  of  representation, 
the  voters  of  this  country  are  now  able  to  raise 
funds  for  any  improvements  or  reforms  which 
they  are  convinced  are  worth-while.  There- 
fore, it  seems  to  me  that  all  our  efforts  should 
be  devoted  to  developing  a  really  worth-while 
educational  system  which  alone  will  create  a 
truly  happy  and  efficient  people.  The  purpose 
of  the  churches  Is  to  make  people  truly  happy, 
but  must  not  this  be  worked  out  through  our 
school  systems? 

If  so,  we  must  teach  in  the  schools  a  simple 
religion  of  the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man,  and  the  scientific  basis 
for  overcoming  evil  with  good."*  For  teaching 
this  the  best  characters  should  be  employed, 
irrespective  of  church  or  creed,  men  and 
women  whom  the  entire  community  love  and 
respect.  Moreover,  not  until  persons  of  such 
character  are  In  demand  and  paid  highly  for 
their  services,  will  such  teaching  be  respected. 
This  has  been  the  history  of  art,  music  and 
literature.     Spirituality  can  be  developed  only 

^This  basis  is  Newton's  Law  that  "action  and  re- 
action are  equal,"  which  the  writer  explains  in  detail  in 
another  volume, 


A  POSSIBILITY  107 

in  the  same  way,  according  to  the  same  eco- 
nomic laws.  These  persons  should  be  allowed 
to  teach  no  creed;  in  fact,  they  would  be  too 
wise  to  attempt  it.  They  should  teach  by  ex- 
ample and  precept  how  to  be  happy. 

Happiness  comes  through  health,  knowl- 
edge, faith,  and  a  reasonable  amount  of  pros- 
perity. In  connection  with  the  study  of 
health,  young  people  must  be  taught  how  to 
keep  well,  and  all  methods  of  municipal  sani- 
tation. With  this  study  should  be  combined 
justice,  courtesy,  hopefulness,  and  personal 
relationship  with  others.  When  studying  ma- 
terial prosperity,  our  young  people  should  be 
taught  this  fundamental;  namely,  that  true 
success  comes  only  through  service.  Hence, 
each  boy  should  select  some  one  thing,  how- 
ever insignificant  in  itself,  and  resolve  to  do 
this  better  than  any  one  else.  This,  however, 
requires  a  knowledge  of  economics,  which 
every  citizen  should  have.  The  present  sys- 
tem, leaving  economics  to  the  college  course 
so  that  its  laws  are  known  only  by  those  who 
are  to  become  employers,  Is  exceedingly  un- 
just to  labour  and  consumers  In  general. 

Probably  giving  the  masses  such  an  educa- 
tion would  Inevitably  result  In  a  gradual  redis- 
tribution of  property.  Although  property 
does  not  mean  happiness,  yet  for  any  nation 
to  be  happy  there  must  be  a  much  more  equal 
distribution    of   property    than    is   now    wit- 


108  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

nessed.  This  great  gap  will,  however,  con- 
stantly be  reduced  in  size,  and  manual  labour 
will  gradually  be  rewarded  more.  The 
churches  will  some  day  encourage  the  masses 
in  their  attempts  to  become  factors  in  the 
management  of  industries.  In  the  meantime 
all  interested  in  bringing  about  these  reforms 
should  unite  actively  in  the  work  of  some 
church,  and  with  this  new  vision  become  a 
real  factor  in  spreading  the  teachings  of  Jesus. 


An  Appeal 

Once  when  visiting  the  city  of  Cleveland,  I 
was  taken  into  the  suburbs  and  shown  some 
buildings  looking  like  the  buildings  on  a  college 
campus.  I  was  told  that  they  belonged  to  a 
great  business  corporation,  popularly  known 
as  the  National  Lamp  Works.  This  company 
is  controlled  by  the  General  Electric  Com- 
pany and  is  one  of  the  largest  producers  of  in- 
candescent lamps.  Upon  asking  to  go  into  the 
buildings  to  see  an  incandescent  lamp  made, 
I  was  astonished  by  the  reply: 

"  No  lamps  are  made  out  here.  All  of  these 
buildings  are  used  simply  for  experimental 
purposes.  The  hundreds  of  people  here  em- 
ployed devote  themselves  simply  to  discover- 
ing more  efficient  means  of  lighting  and  per- 
fecting the  present  forms  now  in  use.'* 

It    seemed    impossible    that    an    Industrial 


A  POSSIBILITY  109 

money-making  corporation  could  afford  to 
have  such  an  extensive  plant  for  experimental 
work,  a  plant  which  covered  several  acres 
upon  which  were  located  not  only  buildings 
but  a  hospital,  reading  rooms,  tennis  courts 
and  other  forms  of  recreation.  It  is  almost 
like  a  small  college  town  in  itself.  Yet,  not  a 
single  lamp  is  being  made  there!  Not  only 
that  but  the  entire  National  Lamp  Works  it- 
self is  but  a  subsidiary  of  one  of  our  industrial 
corporations ! 

All  of  these  buildings  and  structures  are 
being  devoted  simply  to  perfecting  one  article, 
an  incandescent  lamp!  What  a  lesson  this 
should  be  to  the  churches  of  America  who  are 
responsible  for  giving  the  world  a  light  far 
greater  and  far  more  important  than  the  in- 
candescent lamp!  What  are  the  churches  of 
America  doing  for  experimental  work?  It  is 
true  that  the  churches  have  their  missionaries, 
preaching  the  gospel;  it  is  true  that  the  de- 
nominations have  their  colleges  to  teach  and 
propagate;  but  what  are  churches  doing  along 
the  lines  of  experimental  work  to  perfect 
their  methods? 

When  comparing  this  work  in  Cleveland 
with  the  work  that  our  theological  teachers 
are  doing,  it  puts  the  Church  to  shame.  Yes, 
there  are  many  things  which  the  churches 
must  do  to  get  back  their  power  and  influence. 
But  the  first  step  is  to  hold  a  clinic  and  diag- 


110  THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

nose  itself.  All  of  the  large  denominations 
should  get  together  at  once  and  build  a  great 
institution,  not  for  the  purpose  of  teaching, 
but  for  the  purpose  of  studying;  not  for  the 
purpose  of  propagating,  but  for  the  purpose 
of  diagnosing.  This  institution  should  be  a 
great  theological  clinic  with  representatives  of 
every  denomination  and  supported  by  all  de- 
nominations. It  should  seek  the  truth;  it 
should  learn  how  to  apply  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  to  modern  affairs;  it  should  learn  how 
to  capitalize  the  power  of  prayer. 

The  churches  have  the  only  solution  to  the 
problems  of  to-day.  The  future  of  America 
and  the  entire  world  is  bound  up  with  the  fu- 
ture of  the  churches;  but  the  churches  are  not 
in  a  position  to-day  to  handle  their  product. 
They  do  not  even  know  what  that  product  is, 
let  alone  how  to  apply  it.  Hence,  the  first 
step  for  the  churches  in  order  to  regain  their 
power,  is  the  organization  of  a  great  central, 
scientific  institution,  operated  by  the  churches 
and  for  the  churches  which  shall  be  to  the 
churches  of  America  what  the  constitutional 
convention  of  150  years  ago  was  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States. 


APPENDIX 

SoTfie  Important  Dates  for  Those  Interested 
in  Church  History 

975  B.  C. — Death  of  Solomon. 

Revolt  of  the  Ten  Tribes. 
716-712  B.  C. — Romulus  reputed  murdered. 

Sennacherib  invades  Judah. 
664  B.  C. — First  sea-fight  on  record. 
588-578    B.    C. — Captivity   of   Judah   completed   and   Jerusalem 

destroyed. 

Servius  TuUius,  King  of  Rome.     Money  coined. 
567-565  B.   C. — Conquest  of  the  Etrurians. 

First  Census  of  Rome. 
509-507  B.  C. — Brutus  and  CoUatinus  first  Consuls. 

The  capitol  finished. 
456-451  B.  C. — Cincinnatus,  Dictator. 

Laws  of  the  twelve  tables. 
413-411  B.  C. — Egypt  regains  independence. 

Roman  famine. 
390-376  B.   C. — Rome  destroyed  by  the  Gauls. 

War  between  patricians  and  plebeians. 
337  B.   C. — First  plebeian  praetor. 
286  B.  C. — Law   of    Hortensius,    by  which   the  decrees   of   the 

people  had  the  force  of  those  of  the  senate. 
266  B.   C. — Rome  mistress  of  all  Italy. 
204-202    B,    C. — Scipio    carries   the  war   into   Africa  with   great 

applause. 
181  B.   C. — Plague  at  Rome. 
133  B.   C. — Spain  becomes  a  Rom.an  province. 
104-91   B.    C. — Teutons   defeat  80,000   Romans   on  the  banks  of 

the  Rhone. 

Birth  of  Julius   Caesar. 

Social  War  in  Italy. 
55-30  B.  C. — Caesar  passes  the  Rhine,  defeats  the  Germans  and 

Gauls,   and  invades   Britain. 

Civil  War  between  Caesar  and  Pompey. 

Pompey  defeated. 

Caesar,  Dictator. 

Caesar  takes  Alexandria  and  conquers  Eg3rpt. 

Republic  of  Rome  becomes  a  monarchy. 


54  A.  D. — Nero,  Emperor. 

60  A.  D. — Paul  imprisoned  in  Rome. 

77  A.  D. — A  great  plague  at  Rome,  10,000  dying  in  one  day. 

117  A.  D. — Great  persecution  of  the  Christians. 

Hadrian,  Emperor. 
193  A.  D. — Septimus   Severus,   Emperor.     A  vigorous  ruler,  but 

persecutes  the  Christians. 
270-272  A.  D. — Aurelian  becomes  Emperor. 

Great  persecution  of  Christians, 
306  A.  D. — Constantine  the  Great,   Emperor. 

Persecution  of   Christians  stopped. 
475  A.  D. — Oligarchy  of  the  bishops   of  Rome,   Constantinople, 

Alexandria.  Antioch,  and  Jerusalem. 

The  Church  now  begins  to  assume  a  political  aspect. 

Ill 


112  APPEimiX 

502-511  A._  D. — Invasions  by  the  Persians. 

Great  insurrection  in  Constantinople. 
568  A.  D. — A   plague  extends  over   Europe  and  Asia  and  lasts 

about  fifty  years. 
600  A.  D. — Introduction     of      Christianity     into      Britain     and 

throughout  Europe. 
650  A.  D. — The  Christian  Church  very  useful  and  influential  in 

all  matters. 
766  A.  D. — Beginning  of  the  Pope's  temporal  power. 
800  A.  D. — A  period  of  great  prosperity. 
840  A.  D. — Feudal  system  at  its  height. 
S41-858  A.  D. — Hereditary  nobility  and  the  clergy  dominant  in 

matters  of  state. 

Alfred  the  Great  born. 

Nicholas  I  first  Pope  to  be  crowned. 
890  A.  D. — Oxford  University  founded  by  Alfred  the  Great. 

Trial  by  Jury  instituted. 
812-915  A.  D. — The  Normans  in  France  embrace  Christianity. 

University  of  Cambridge  founded. 
840-956  A.  D. — Mints  established  in  England. 

Baptism  of  Olga,  and  conversion  of  Russia  to  Christianity. 
999  A.  D. — Hungary  becomes  a  fief  of  the  Church. 
1069  A.   D. — Quarrel  between  the  Popes  and  the  German  Em- 
perors. 
1096  A.  D. — Peter  the  Hermit  preaches  against  the  Turks. 

The  First  Crusade. 
1100  A.  D. — Study  of  theology  receives  new  impulse. 
1160  A.  D. — Another  period  of  great  prosperity. 
1198  A.  D. — Power  of  the  Pope  supreme  in  temporal  matters. 
1265  A.  D. — Dominion  of  Italy  passes  to  the  Pope,  who  greatly 

abuses  his  power. 
1303-1309  A.  D.— Papal  power  broken. 

Seat  of  the  Popes  transferred  to  Avignon. 
1416  A.   D. — Huss  burned  for  heresy.     Revival  of  real  Christi- 
anity. 
1434  A.  D. — Invention  of  printing  at  Mayence. 
1450  A.  D. — Flourishing  period  of  trade  in  Western  Europe. 
1493  A.  D. — Era  of  discovery  in  the  New  World.     (Columbus.) 
1502-1617  A.  D. — St.  Peter's  and  other  great  churches  built. 

Beginning  of  the  Reformation. 
1530  A.  D. — ^Luther  at  his  height. 
1561-1558  A.   D. — Treaty  of  Passau  secures  religious  liberty  to 

the  Protestants  in  Germany, 

Elizabeth,  Queen.     Rise  of  the  Puritans. 
1588  A.  D. — First  newspaper  in  England. 

Defeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada. 
1592  A.    D. — The    Rialto    and    Piazza    di    San    Marco    built    at 

Venice. 
1620  A.  D. — Pilgrims  sail  in  Mayflower. 
1649  A.  D. — England  under  Cromwell. 
1692-1693  A.  D. — First  opera  house  opened. 

Bank  of  England  founded. 
1697  A.  D. — General  peace  throughout  the  world. 
1703  A.  D. — Flourishing  period  of  French  literature. 
1783  A.  D. — Independence  of  the  United  States  acknowledged. 
1789  A.  D. — French  Revolution  begins. 
1797  A.  D.— Swiss  Revolution. 

1813  A.  D. — War  of  German  independence. 

1814  A.  D.— Fall  of  Napoleon. 

1846  A.  D. — Repeal  of  the  English  corn  laws. 
1900  A.  D. — The  democratic  spirit  at  its  height. 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


Date  Due 


j^p^wiiip^gaaa 


MlllTlllli?iilllllllim;r;^-5''^"L,b.ary 


1    1012  01003  7374 


